1. Monarch caterpillar   2. Monarch cocoon   3. Adult monarch

   The Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, undergoes complete metamorphosis. This means that when they hatch from the egg they are caterpillars, not nymphs (small insects that look like adults).

   The caterpillars feed on milkweed and molt (shed their skin) several times. After the last molt, they form a cocoon. In about 14 days, a beautiful adult monarch will emerge.

   The adult will fly off, eventually mate with another Monarch, and if it’s a female, lay eggs.

   I once found a monarch caterpillar. You should have seen that thing grow! One day, I noticed that it had spun a cocoon. I checked it regularly for a few days, and then forgot about it. Then, one day soon after that, I was working in near it’s tank and I noticed that the butterfly had emerged!

   It was a wonderful experience to let it crawl on my finger while it prepared for flight! I had always wanted to have one do it to me, but one never had. It was a wonderful experience.  

4. A quick graph of complete metamorphosis 

Picture Credits:

1. Arnold T. Drooz, USDA Forest Service

2. Herbert A., Texas Forest Service

3. David Cappaert

www.insectimages.org

4. Saul Costa gollum@integrity.com