Live watch of our Caterpillars, we have 3 caterpillars in Chrysalis right now!

OMG! So our Potted Milkweed was the first to attract 3 caterpillars!

How interesting that our milkweed that is planted in our garden in my backyard was not the first to attract caterpillars, that the milkweed in the pot on my patio was the first! We used to have 4 caterpillars, but one had died- we think it was attacked by a worm.

Witnessing in first hand the lifecycle of the butterfly has been fascinating!

Once I saw the 4 caterpillars eating all of the milkweed, I went to our local Montgomery Nursery to get "Caterpillar Candy" for the caterpillars to eat! They have to find a stick or something to attach to to start chrysalis.

The Egg

This is a monarch butterfly egg. It is not much bigger than the head of a pin! A monarch is an egg for 3-8 days. I didn't even

Female monarch butterflies lay their eggs only on milkweed plants. When the eggs hatch, milkweed is the only food monarch caterpillars eat.

The Caterpillar (or Larva) This monarch butterfly hatched just a few minutes ago. It is eating its own shell. Nothing is wasted in nature! A monarch is a caterpillar for 7-17 days.

• Larva is the scientific word for caterpillar.

• Larvae is the plural of larva. So, larvae means caterpillars.

  
  

Eating and Growing

Monarchs spend the caterpillar stage of their lives eating and growing. This monarch ate the leaf it was standing on. It took only 20 minutes!

The Chrysalis

Next, the hungry caterpillar turns into a chrysalis. I got to watch the caterpillar actually turning into a chrysalis- which was fascinating because it's light green at first and as the caterpillar is in chrysalis, it turns darker shade of green. A monarch is a chrysalis for 8-15 days. The butterfly's beautiful orange and black wings appear the day before it is born. ( I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE)

The changes that happen inside a chrysalis are like magic. "It's like a mouse turning into a hummingbird," says monarch scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower.

The Adult

When the butterfly comes out of its chrysalis. It is about to stretch its wings and fly. Within days, the males and females mate. The females lay their tiny eggs and the life cycle begins again.

How long do adult monarchs live?It depends on when they are born:

• Most monarchs are born in the spring and summer. They live for only 2-6 weeks! To pre-produce!

• Monarchs that are born in late summer are different. These are the monarchs that migrate to Mexico for the winter. They may live up to 8 months

Therefore, I think our butterflies will be our little Mexico Migrating Warriors!