Monarchs-Week 2

Turns out, I don't blog near enough to keep up with those fast-changing caterpillars. What were eggs a little over 2 weeks ago are now chrysalises. I myself wouldn't believe the changes that could happen over only 2 weeks if I hadn't been keeping track of the dates.

Wed., July 23
A tragedy in the other caterpillar brood! Overnight, the quartet of caterpillars in my other box (they are about a week ahead of the ones in these posts) were reduced to two. I can only assume that they crawled out the small opening and are hanging in chrysalises somewhere on my enclosed porch. I'd expect in the next week or so to rediscover them when they reappear as adult monarchs.

In the smaller box, the caterpillars have grown amazingly quickly. The first photo is from my last post and was taken on 7/18, so the lower photo shows their growth in just 5 days. If I'd been diligent in taking photos each day, I'm sure I'd have been able to pinpoint the exact day they seemed to triple in size, but I think it was just yesterday, since I noticed some shedded skin on the bottom of the box this morning. Based on my last butterfly-raising experience, once that happens, they just start eating (and pooping) voraciously.


They ate A LOT this week. I'd put in 2-3 milkweed leaves every morning, and they'd be eaten down to only the stems by evening.

Sun., July 27
Came home from camping to discover the caterpillars all attached to the lid of their box. This is different from the method the swallowtail caterpillars used -- they hung by silk threads from sticks, looking like little rock climbers. The monarchs apparently create a sticky substance that attaches them to a horizontal surface.


Mon., July 28 Morning
This morning, one is going into its chrysalis. Notice the bit of shmutz near the top? That's the caterpillar's skin. They don't create the chrysalis as an outer shell; it's actually inside them and is revealed when they shed the caterpillar skin. This is a little factoid I only recently learned, and I continue to be both amazed and grossed out by it.


Mon., July 28 Evening
By the time we all got home from daycare and work today, all four had entered their chrysalises. They are so tiny, about the length of the fingernail on your index finger. I've always thought the gold-flecked monarch chrysalis is one of the most beautiful things in nature. And seeing them up close in my own home, I also realize how fragile they seem, and how simply perfect.



So, not much left to do now but wait for the monarchs to emerge. I found one more egg on a leaf I'd plucked for food a couple days ago, so I'll probably raise that one, too. But then I think that will bring the caterpillar experiment to a close for this summer. Too much travel next month to be raising these hungry little suckers.