MONARCH CATERPILLAR FORMS "J" READY FOR PUPATION

The monarch caterpillar I rescued from a lettuce leaf a few days ago happily munched on some milkweed in its butterfly tent, and then last night it crawled to the top of the enclosure, spun a web, then turned around to attach its rear end to it!

(In case you missed my post from yesterday about the caterpillar rescue, you can read it here.)

It will probably hang in this characteristic "J" shape for longer than normal before beginning to pupate (it does not form a cocoon) at these lower temperatures. What does it mean to pupate? The skin actually splits open near the head and the chrysalis begins to appear. Within a very short time (minutes) the skin will split all the way to the caterpillar's rear end, and the skin will drop off.

When the chrysalis has completely formed, it will take at least two weeks (probably longer at this time of year) for the butterfly to emerge.

I will keep you updated with the progress of this little creature as changes are made.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Exposure: 1/50 sec; f/16; ISO 1600