I always allow some milkweed to grow in my vegetable garden. I don’t let it take over, but I want to provide a hospitable place for monarch butterflies. In case you didn’t already know, milkweed is the ONLY thing monarch larvae eat. I feel they have enough to contend with, and this is the least I can do. It is obvious that monarch larvae have been munching on these leaves. Good! I was hopeful I might actually catch some of them in the act.

Some serious munching going on here

I didn’t see any eating, but when I was harvesting my string beans, I saw a monarch caterpillar – more or less out in the open –  about to pupate. I had always assumed they did this on the undersides of milkweed leaves, but I guess I was wrong. This one was attached to the fence the beans climb on, about three feet high.

Pupating among the beans

After taking a few photos, I left the house for about two hours. As soon as I came home, I went outside to check on the caterpillar, and I found this. That sure didn’t take long!

The chrysalis

My next step was to go online to try and learn more about this stage in the monarch’s development. The first thing I found out is that unlike moths, monarchs do not spin cocoons. A monarch during this pupa stage is properly called a chrysalis, and the chrysalis is found under the skin of the larva when the last layer splits and falls away.

So, how long will it be before a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis? It seems temperature can affect the speed of the metamorphosis. The hotter the days and nights, the faster it happens. I figure it’ll be between a week and two weeks before this one emerges. It would be great to catch the big event, but I can’t camp out with the beans until it happens. I’ll just have to check on it every day – and of course I’ll keep you posted.