I was so excited yesterday when I saw this caterpillar on my screen. I was hoping he'd stop where I could watch him become a butterfly. Sure enough, he stopped right at 4' off the ground, where I first found him. This morning, I saw him in the "J" shape, but there had been little change since last night. I feared he wouldn't make it. An hour later, I saw he was completely transformed into this chrysalis! Wow! How did that happen? I wish I had seen it transform.
@anazad511 Thanks, Ana. I have so many Monarch caterpillars in my yard and I rarely see a chrysalis. I wish I had seen this one transform. There will be little change, but since it is right outside my kitchen window, I will keep an eye on changes. Maybe I will see him before he hatches.
@pjonas Yes! I think this is such an amazing process.
Great capture Danette, all my caterpillars appear to have moved away now, I was hoping to see this happening in my garden, but I am unsure where they have gone?
@gphelps5 Butterflies are seasonal, and isn't winter coming your way? We have butterflies year-round. I've had a butterfly garden for probably 15 years and have hardly ever seen a chrysalis.This caterpillar may have crawled only 7-8' from the plant, but I have seen others crawl longer distances. They are really good at hiding--either that or camoflauge!
@purdey Thank you, Sharon. And I don't even think my colors did it justice because of the bright sunlight. It is such a beautiful green with gold dots. So perfect.
I love watching the monarch process! Lucky you to have them all year. Haven't seen one here in almost a month now, so I am sure they are headed down to California or Mexico.
September 26th, 2012
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@pjonas Yes! I think this is such an amazing process.
@bardejov Thanks! Yes, very fascinating.