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chrysalis formation of monarch caterpillar
September 14, 2009
Hi! A few weeks ago, my kids and I collected some monarch eggs and caterpillars from a local park. After weeks of collecting fresh milkweed every day and watching the caterpillars grow, we were rewarded by seeing them turn into beautiful green chrysalids. One morning, we happened to be watching when a caterpillar started to shed its skin to reveal the green chrysalis underneath. I took some photos of the process that I thought you might like to see. It took about four minutes for the caterpillar to become a pupa. So far, five of the butterflies have emerged and been released. We have two more that should emerge in a few days. We are already looking forward to raising monarchs again next summer, and even plan to tag them for the Monarch Watch program.
Thanks for such an awesome website! We are big fans!
The Ganino Family
Madison, CT

Monarch Caterpillar Metamorphosis

Dear Ganino Family,
Thanks for the awesome images showing the transformation of the Monarch Caterpillar to the Chrysalis.  Your first image shows the caterpillar skin splitting and the second image shows the Chrysalis while it still maintains the more elongated shape of the caterpillar.

Monarch Chrysalis Metamorphosis

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2. Monarch Caterpillar Metamorphosis and Tachinid Fly Parasites (August 5, 2007)
3. Monarch Project: Caterpillar, Crysalids, and Butterfly (August 18, 2007)
4. Monarch Caterpillar Metamorphosis and Tachinid Fly Parasites (August 12, 2007)
5. A Monarch Metamorphosis (July 23, 2009)