Monarchs
(as well as Queens and Soldiers - they look very similar) like to lay their eggs
on Milkweed. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars start munching.
In about a week, when they reach their optimum growth, they find a spot to
attach themselves, shed their skin a last time and become chrysalides. In
about a week the adult butterfly emerges.
Send me some Feedback if you'd like to receive some FREE
milkweed seeds to
plant in your garden. -----------------------------------------------------------
(HELP! I'm swamped with requests for the milkweed seeds! I
can't keep up! Please send a stamped, addressed envelope to the address
below, and I will put
the seeds in it and send it back to you. Sorry, but I just can't keep up
with the demand any other way. It is SO gratifying to see the amount of
interest! I will be adding more info on butterfly gardening soon.
Send your questions and I will post answers for everyone as soon as I can.)
Butterfly FAQ's
-----------------------------------------------------------
Here are pictures of the Monarch Butterfly's Life Cycle from
Caterpillar to Butterfly.
Once it reaches its optimum growth the caterpillar finds a
place to attach itself.
Then it hangs down in a "question mark". It begins the final shedding of its skin (bunched at the top
in the second photo). This is accomplished with a LOT of wiggling.
Once the skin is shed it calms down and consolidates itself into the final
chrysalis. Then it is a complete chrysalis. These last 4 photos
were taken over a span of about 1 hour.
In about a week, the chrysalis is ready to hatch into a
butterfly. The Monarch is visible inside. Next it will break
the skin of the chrysalis and begin to emerge. The wings are wrapped
around the body and the abdomen is very large - full of fluids that will
be pumped into the wings.
Now it is in position to unfurl its wings. The wings
slowly unfurl with the pumping of abdominal fluids and the help of
gravity. Once the wings are fully extended, it will hang for an hour
or two and let the wings dry.
Once they dry, the Monarch will fly away and look for
nectar, a mate, and a place to lay eggs. From emerging, until its
wings were fully extended took about 10 minutes. Drying may take an
hour or two.
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