MORE ON MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

 After sharing my post on September 1 regarding monarch caterpillars and butterflies, I discovered one of those pictured caterpillars preparing to go into its chrysalis phase.

It was hanging from one of the milkweed leaves, very still.  I thought it might be dying or already dead.  But it was also an opportunity to witness the metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly if it was alive.

I cut a portion of the milkweed, including the leaf the caterpillar was suspended from, and put it in a vase.  I didn't expect to find much more than a dead caterpillar when I got up in the morning.  Boy, was I surprised!

Waiting for me was a beautiful green chrysalis that was adorned with golden specks.

Metamorphosis, changing from caterpillar to butterfly, takes from nine to fourteen days.  I kept close watch, but nothing happened in the first eleven days.  But on day twelve, I noted that the green was changing.  By the time I went to bed, the colorful wings could be seen through the now translucent chrysalis.  I was confident that within 24 hours, a butterfly would emerge.

This morning, with the colors even more vivid, I decided to take the chrysalis outdoors.  My plan was to see the butterfly appear, watch as it hung and its wings dried and then move it to the milkweed from where it would finally fly away.

I took the daily crossword puzzle, camera and cup of coffee to the porch and got comfortable in the chair where I was prepared to spend most of the day.  But before an hour had passed, I looked up just as the butterfly slipped from the chrysalis!  It hung there for about an hour, its wings slowly straightening.  Eventually I moved it to the milkweed plants where it spent the afternoon until it flew away.

If you're interested in reading more about monarch butterflies, I found this link informative:
http://butterflybushes.com/monarch_

metamorphosis.htm

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

Last summer Grandma Sherry had an abundance of ornamental milkweed that she'd planted.  I don't know whether she intended to host monarch butterfly caterpillars, but that is indeed what she did.  By late summer multiple caterpillars seemed to be on every plant, and there were a lot of plants. Looking for the caterpillars was like looking for Easter eggs.  

Eventually the caterpillars disappeared, but were discovered as chrysalises hanging from the siding and soffit of her condo.  We were diligent as we watched day to day as the chrysalises changed from light green to translucent and the colorful wings could be seen as they matured.  And ultimately there came the bittersweet days as we watched the butterflies emerge, quickly dry their wings and fly off.

From www.monarchbutterflyusa.com, "The total time frame for one butterfly's life cycle (one generation) is about 6-8 weeks . . . egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly. It grows inside the egg for about 4 days. It then munches milkweed and grows as a monarch caterpillar (larvae) for about 2 more weeks. The caterpillar's life inside the chrysalis (pupa) lasts about 10 days and its wonderful life as an adult butterfly lasts from 2 - 6 weeks."

Early in the spring I purchased some milkweed seeds.  Around Mother's Day, when the chance of frost is said to be past, the kids cultivated the small dirt strip along my patio and planted the seeds.  As I sit here now, I count six plants.  Three are healthy, although no milk pods have appeared, one looks puny, and two are merely marking time until frost takes them.

Caterpillars - top middle and lower right

About a month ago, Sophia ran into the house to announce she'd found a caterpillar!  We went out together and found four.  In the next three days, they all disappeared, off to find a spot for their chrysalises.  

In fact, I watched one as it left the plant, crawled up the hibiscus planter and eventually disappeared into the shrub.  I presume all made their way to safety.

Last week I was sitting on the porch and saw a monarch butterfly hanging from the limb of a nearby plant, slowly opening and closing its wings.  I bent down, encouraged it to climb onto my finger, and moved it to the butterfly plant.  There it stayed, continuing to open and close its wings.  When I looked later in the evening it was gone.

Once again, this afternoon  I am sitting on the patio.  A few minutes ago I glanced at the largest of the plants and saw a new caterpillar. Closer inspection revealed a second, and both are about half the size of a mature caterpillar!  This is the third "crop" of caterpillars, and I am in awe at being able to witness the monarch's life cycle!