“A monarch's life is a story of enormous
transformation. They start as an egg, and within a few days they emerge as a
ravenous caterpillar. After 10-14 days of munching away at milkweed leaves, the
monarch forms a chrysalis. Over the next two weeks it undergoes a radical
reorganization of its tissues, ultimately tearing free from its confinement as
an adult monarch butterfly. If it hatched in the summer, it may live for
another 2-5 weeks. In early fall, the final generation of monarchs has a
special job: to migrate. This special generation may live up to 8 months…Monarch
butterflies depend on milkweed plants. They lay their eggs on them because they
are the only food the monarch caterpillars eat.”
This year she brought me four caterpillars. I got to
watch the process of going from caterpillars to butterflies. Once they emerge
from their crysalis, their wings stay wet for about 2 to 4 hours. That’s when I
got the chance really watch them and even set one on my hand!
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