Subject: Chrysalis in SE Michigan
Geographic location of the bug: SE Michigan
Date: 10/19/2018
Time: 11:54 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: These (2) are in my yard. The immediate area is a vernal marsh area, with swamp milkweed. They are not on the milkweed, but it is close by.
How you want your letter signed: Bill Jones
Dear Bill,
Physically, this appears to be a Monarch chrysalis, however the color is not normal. A normal Monarch chrysalis is bright green with gold flecks, and as it nears the time for the adult to emerge, the orange wings appears through the exoskeleton. Your chrysalis appears to have fallen prey to a parasite, probably a Tachinid Fly like the chrysalis pictured on Monarch Lover.