(I think)… The third monarch butterfly has emerged from its chrysalis and is getting ready to take off! The fourth one is still in a chrysalis (Not sure what’s the difference between a chrysalis and a pupa) and sadly the fifth monarch caterpillar died. But it’s always a wonderful feeling to see a brand new butterfly !
Tag: #chrysalis
Monarch caterpillar makes a chrysalis!
One monarch caterpillar has made a chrysalis and is starting to transform into a butterfly.
The other one is reached full size and is happily chowing down on the milkweed leaves.
We got these caterpillars by accident. We were going to grow some milkweed so that next year’s butterflies would have a place to lay their eggs. But it looks like two eggs came along with our seedlings and hatched into caterpillars. So we are looking after those caterpillars until they are ready to fly off as beautiful monarch butterflies….
That said, it is not recommended to raise monarchs indoors. It can lead to the spread of a parasite called OE that is attacking the monarch butterfly population. See this site for more info: https://monarchjointventure.org/