If There is No Milkweed, Where Will Monarch Butterflies Lay Their Eggs?
Elissa Cusmia and Giulia Rocca
Willow Creek Middle School
Rochester, MN
Abstract
We put 10 female butterflies in a tent with no milkweed. Instead, we gave them an
assortment of egg-laying surfaces: light green paper, dark green paper, and green
plastic. All of these were cut in the shape of milkweed leaves. Some of each kind
were rubbed with milkweed latex, others were plain. We attached the fake leaves
to a branch with clothespins. The purpose was to find out what they would lay their
eggs on if there wasn't real milkweed. They didn't pick any of the fake leaves.
They laid their eggs on the sides of the tent and on feeding sponges instead! We
learned that it was not so easy to fool the butterflies, and that they will lay
their eggs, but not on fake leaves.
Observation
We observed that our classroom's monarchs not only laid eggs on milkweed, but on
the tent wall as well.
Question
If there is no milkweed, where will the female monarchs lay their eggs?
Hypothesis
Our class split into groups and each group came up with one hypothesis. Here are
some of our most eligible hypotheses:
- the females will lay no eggs;
- they will lay
eggs on another plant,
- on the side of the tent,
- on green paper,
- plastic or fabric
leaves,
- one rubbed with milkweed latex,
- or one without.
Experiment
To start this experiment, we observed females that were laying eggs in the big tent.
We took ten females and put them in a smaller cage where we would be able to observe
them better. In the cage, we put a begonia plant and a twig with leaves made of
green plastic, neon green paper, and dark green paper. There were two of each leaf
and one of the two leaves was rubbed with milkweed latex while the other was not.
We also put two artificial leaves on the plant but neither was rubbed with latex.
For food, we gave the females a plastic petri dish which contained three sponges.
Every day during Life Science class, we would check the cage for eggs and count
them. We started October 27, 1998 and recorded this data on a spreadsheet through
November 20, 1998. When we checked the tent for eggs, we looked at all the walls
and other locations and recorded these results in the spreadsheet as well. One day
we even found a larva on the paper towel, he really blended in! One unusual place
where we found many eggs was on the petri dish.
Results
The females main laying surfaces were the wall and the plastic sponge cup. The females
also laid eggs on the paper towel (we kept this on the floor to keep the cage clean),
the side wood (rim on the tent), and the food sponges.
Conclusion
With no milkweed to lay their eggs on, the female monarchs laid the most live eggs
on the plastic sponge cup and the most infertile eggs on the wall (netting) of the
cage.
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