Cycle of a monarch

A monarch caterpillar is a threatened species because of habitat loss. Her main source of life the common milkweed plant is disappearing.People shop them down.Pull them out. And along with them the tiny eggs of the monarch or the little caterpillars. Gone. So here is what you have to do. PLANT. Plant milkweed in your gardens. It is beautiful. It is the only plant a monarch will lay her eggs on. The only plant her caterpillar can feed on. I saved a few one year from being destroyed. I watched the stages. The tiny white egg so small you can hardly see it. I watched the caterpillars as they ate and grew,turned into a beautiful chrysalis and hatched into a gorgeous butterfly. One we hardly see anymore. The most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. Here are a few shots from the cycle of a monarch. I seen to be missing the egg in this series. But if you look very carefully on the underside of the milkweed plants leaves you may see a tiny little white egg. Be very careful. Usually one egg per plant. They are little eating machines when they emerge into the caterpillar stage.

                        As the caterpillars grow they shed their skin leaving little piles of skin behind.

              A chrysalis is formed,a beautiful peace of art with a golden ring. This one is well hidden.

   The monarch caterpillar is beautiful  & full of stripes. Because milkweed is a toxic plant. The plant is ingested by the monarch and in turn makes the monarch inedible to would be predators. It is kind of like a win win situation for this butterfly.

   The monarch caterpillar is a real eating machine. I had to find fresh clean milkweed leaves for them every other day.

                                 When the chrysalis is getting ready to hatch it turns black.

                     You can see the monarch butterfly inside as clear as day. Amazingly beautiful.

            Look at that golden ring now. And every marking on the butterfly within.Incredible.

 When they emerge a slight shivering of the chrysalis happens and little by little the butterfly comes out,as the blood is forced to the wings and into the body it drops tiny pink droplets of blood until the process is complete. This is normal and nothing to worry about. It takes a lot of energy to emerge and come to the life of the butterfly stage.

The butterfly gains its strength and flies away to its new life. And this is what it leaves behind. Amazingly beautiful clear chrysalis.