Three weeks ago, on August 30th, I posted pictures of about a dozen Monarch caterpillars munching on milkweed leaves, like the ones shown below.
A few days later, they all disappeared. I suspected the birds ate them because I saw some birds diving toward the milkweed and then flying away. I thought that was the end of that Monarch generation, and promised myself to hang some kind of netting next year to keep the birds from consuming the caterpillars.
This morning, I saw one Monarch caterpillar attached to our house siding, about four feet from the milkweed plants. It was busy weaving and by noontime had transformed itself into a Chrysalis. To prevent the birds from eating it, I hung a piece of transparent plastic around it, with openings on three sides.
In 10 days, a Monarch butterfly will emerge from the above Chrysalis. I will try to be there to capture that moment.
Dalo 2013 said:
Wow, I have to say even the caterpillar is quite beautiful too ~ in part because of your shallow DOF it really pops on the leaf. Great shot. I hope you are having a good start to autumn.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Randall! I may be able to post more pictures of a butterfly emerging out of the chrysalis in a day or two.
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Julie@frogpondfarm said:
I do so hope it hatches .. that is a wonderful pic of the chrysalis btw 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
It is coming along fine, and as of today it is still okay. I will post pictures if I can catch the Monarch butterfly emerging from the Chrysalis.
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bluebrightly said:
Yes! Sharp eyes and success! I remember the post about the caterpillars. I’m happy for you – and for the monarch.
It will be wonderful to see the process, and you should be able to catch it, because you’ll see the changes begin when (if I remember right) the chrysalis begins to darken.
I probably already told you, but years ago (in New Jersey!) I brought a caterpillar inside, with plenty of milkweed leaves, and watched the entire process. It was before the internet and i didin’t know how long the process took, so it was very suspenseful. It all turned out well and I was able to do it one more time, when I lived in Westchester. These days I might hesitate, being afraid I would interfere since they are getting scarce. But both times it went off without a hitch, and I safely released the butterflies. Those fresh wings are brilliant, but my favorite thing might have been the little spots of gold on the chrysalis. Enchanting.
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neihtn2012 said:
Next year I will follow your example and bring at least one caterpillar inside.
As of today, the Chrysalis is still there, and getting transparent. I think there is a butterfly shape in there, but it maybe too soon yet.
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bluebrightly said:
It will get more and more obvious – take more photos! 🙂 Thank you.
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Albatz Travel Adventures said:
I just realized that I have never seen a monarch caterpillar before (or any type of chrysalis for that matter). It appears to have antennas on both ends of the creature – are my eyes fooling me? Beautiful thought-provoking shots.
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neihtn2012 said:
Your eyes are not fooling you at all. The Monarch caterpillars has antennas on both ends, with the shorter antennas being on its head. I had to look this up originally, since I couldn’t tell head from tail.
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Mabel Kwong said:
Two sharp captures again, Hien. Sad to hear that the birds probably made a meal out of the Monarch caterpillars. Sounds like you are keeping this one very close, not sure if the birds will be happy about that 🙂 Maybe you can try throwing some seeds or bread around to deter them. Good luck on capturing the butterfly emerging over the next week or so 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Mabel, I still have a bird feeder out on the deck for the birds. As of today the chrysalis is still hanging in the same place. Fingers crossed until next Saturday. Thank your for commenting. 🙂
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quietsolopursuits said:
I hope that you are able to see and record when the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis! Way back when I was a kid, I found a monarch chrysalis and was able to place it in a jar and bring it inside to watch. It’s one of the most magical things in nature to see the butterfly as it emerges!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Jerry! I hadn’t thought about bringing it inside. If things don’t turn out well this year, I will try bringing the chrysalis in and putting it into a jar.
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MichaelStephenWills said:
At the New York State Fair this year I saw a demonstration of a monarch house. When You find the caterpillars, move them to the house where they can transform. In nature, once they are ready the caterpillars are very active and mobile. No telling where they will end up.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Michael! Next year I may try that, and will find out how to do it in the meantime.
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Irene said:
Can’t wait to see those captures! Have ten day gone by yet? 😉
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neihtn2012 said:
The tenth day is September 30th. One more week from today.
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Irene said:
Okay, I will try to be patient. 😊
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Emma Cownie said:
Fascinating!
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neihtn2012 said:
Indeed!
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T Ibara Photo said:
Oh how amazing! Holding my breath and hoping you can enjoy the special moment. Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead!
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neihtn2012 said:
Isn’t this like a mini miracle? You too have a great weekend.
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de Wets Wild said:
Thank you, Hien, thank you!
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neihtn2012 said:
Dries, this was completely unexpected! I was going to wait and try again next year.
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katelon said:
That is so special!
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neihtn2012 said:
It really is, and made my day. 🙂
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t smith knowles said:
Fascinating…
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neihtn2012 said:
Agreed!
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Eliza Waters said:
Exciting – hope you catch the ‘rebirth!’
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Eliza! This shows we should never give up hope, at least about the Monarchs.
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Meta Chalker said:
It is so amazing how that all happens. Thanks for this post.
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neihtn2012 said:
I hope the butterfly will emerge and fly away!
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Mz&Cho said:
Looking forward to the transformation. Great post and photos! Thank you.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! Fingers crossed.
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