I found him as a caterpillar and learned very quickly they eat only milkweed.
Each day I wondered if he would survive. When he stopped eating, I thought something was wrong. He was getting ready to form his chrysalis.
Each day I looked to see if the chrysalis would actually change. On the last day I saw his orange wings through his chrysalis but still wonderingif he was going to make it.
He did and I saw him eclose (enter the world) and watched him hang. But he didn’t move. I learned he has to hang for awhile until his wings dry.
Once I saw him open and flap his wings, I was ecstatic and finally knew he made it! A brand new male monarch. It is an amazing experience to watch a monarch caterpillar evolve into a gorgeous butterfly!
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
Tre cool. Is that a real rose bush? I like the photos.
No, that isn’t a real rose plant. I was surprised to see the caterpillar attach himself to the fake plant. I didn’t have him contained so when he crawled off the milkweed plant, I didn’t know where he was for a bit. When I found him, I thought something was wrong with him not knowing he was preparing for his metamorphosis.
Thanks for liking my photos! 🙂