Monarch caterpillar forming its chrysalis - took less than an hour to completely transform. (Sadly missed the action - while having a meeting right in front of it! How is that possible with a room full of naturalists??)
Beautiful series of pictures, fav for me. I was privileged to see the transformation a few times while growing up in the Niagara Peninsula. We lived near an abandoned orchard with many milkweed plants. One summer I raised thirteen monarch butterflies from caterpillarhood! I always set the newly minted butterflies free on the buddleia in our garden. There were so many more monarchs around then than there are now--such a sad decline in numbers.
