Monarch Caterpillar Chrysalis * Danaus plexippus
Insect and Arthropod Photography
Finding the beauty around us - Image Showcase
Monarch Caterpillar makes a chrysalis.
Original image 30.4 Mp - Cropped image 1770 x 1308
Follow the Monarch Life Cycle - Monarch Caterpillars will often leave their milkweeds looking for a safe place to make their final transformation into a butterfly. This caterpillar has moved onto a nearby Penstemon but they might also hang from a variety of supports from lawn furniture to branches as well as other plants. They are particularly vulnerable at this stage to the Tachinid flies. The amount of transformation that takes place between this point and their emergence as a butterfly is astonishing. Just the process of spinning a cocoon is amazing enough. During the final day of the maturing of the chrysalis the skin turns transparant and the colors of the adult butterfly can be seen for the first time.
Photographs by Martin Fletcher
Organic-Landscape located at:
2076 Los Encinos Rd
Ojai CA 93023
Copyright © 2005 Organic-Landscape.com
Last modified: August 1, 2025