If you aren't familiar with the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, you might not recognize that this is an insect at all. But it is. Last week one of the last Monarch caterpillars of the season finally made the change. Inside this gold-encrusted turquoise chrysalis is a caterpillar on its way to becoming a butterfly.
In the larval (caterpillar) stage, Monarchs only feed on milkweed. As adult butterflies they return to the milkweed for nectar and to lay eggs. Here's a sneak preview of what it will look like during the next stage of its life.
Join in on the fun by blogging about a creature in your garden and posting the link here!
The First Friday Creature Feature happens right here on the first Friday of every month. Check back again next month to see what other creatures are lurking in the garden.
The Monarch butterfly is very interesting and beautiful. They stop at my favorite beach in NJ during their migration to Mexico. It's an amazing site!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot! We also get monarchs on the milkweed, but our monarchs are somewhat different. I have mentioned your name and blog in my post today- I hope you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely...sadly, I don't think I've ever seen a Monarch since I moved here to Portland...I wonder if we're not part of its range...will have to look :-(
ReplyDeleteTrying to link to your post. Can't seem to get it to work.
ReplyDeleteHere's my creature feature post:
http://signaturegardens.blogspot.com/2011/02/makin-tracks.html
I've been seeing lots of Monarch caterpillars in the last few weeks. Right now just a few Monarchs are flying around the yard. In the summer I have tons of them : )
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