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
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I hope every things gonna be fine during the cocoon stage . so we can see the butterfly !
Did you gave her a name ?
No name, and there won't be a cocoon. Caterpillars don't make a cocoon. They have a chrysalis. :-) Thanks for stopping by
You are right, It's a moth thing to live in a cocoon.
very good picture and your effort to save this caterpillar to become a butterfly should be appreciated.
I'm hoping it will have a happy ending. ;-)
You're giving us some good education here as well as great photos. I always thought a cocoon and a chrysalis were the same thing. Not sure I want to see pics of it's body splitting open though! 😁
I thought they were the same too, until my neighbor and I got interested and started collecting caterpillars before they could be eaten by predators! It must only have taken a couple of hours for it to go from this stage to the chrysalis this afternoon, so you are spared the in between shots. (This time!) LOL
😁 That was fast! Thanks for sparing me the splitting open shots. Not sure I could handle it first thing in the morning.
Well, I didn’t get to see it either. Lol!
Look at those tiger stripes!🐛
They are very attractive caterpillars, and they become very attractive butterflies!
Yes, they definitely are miracles of Nature!
They are. I can't get my mind around how it all happens, and how the timing is always right for everything to change! The caterpillar knows when to stop munching and start hanging!
You have such a kind and helpful heart!!!
We are to be good stewards of God's creation. He put that little caterpillar in my way for a reason. :-) Sadly, I'm not so kind to his Palmetto bugs (euphemism for HUGE cockroaches!) Not that I do anything! I just scream until my husband puts them back outside where they belong!
Good thing you have a cockroach catching husband to get that job done! @dmcamera The worst are cockroaches that fly. Why there ever was a need for them to evolve to flying defies me. Yikes!
You are absolutely right, Diane. Every creature has its place in the ecosystem. I even try to catch and release outdoors any spider that I find in my house🕷
What I learned since moving to Florida is that palmetto bugs live outside. They only come inside to look for food, and the can squeeze under the tiniest of spaces around door frames etc. to get inside!
So they find food, devour it and then their bellies bloat, they decide to crash for the night and become permanent occupants till evicted. Not cool! From what I remember from vistitng my godmother in Florida, the cockroaches get fairly large too. Then there's the ant population...🐜🐜🐜
Palmetto bugs are cockroaches. It's a euphemism they have for the giant cockroaches. Ugh!
😀Yes, I saw that was the same name for them in your first comment. Please tell me those are not the ones that fly! @dmcamera