The Making of a Queen

What a journey, from tiny caterpillar to butterfly in 18 days. It all begins with a Queen caterpillar in the back yard, and then a cold snap bringing Phoenix nighttime temperatures into the upper 30s (degrees F)

I observed the caterpillar on an Asclepias subulata on 11/5/2020

On 11/9, noting that temperatures were projected to dip into the upper 30s, I placed it in a jar with plenty of fodder. The caterpillar, Heimlich, ate voraciously and grew at an amazing rate - here is it's photo on 11/13:

The caterpillar seemed to like the leaves and flowers best, but also ate stems when necessary - I stocked the jar daily.

On 11/14 Heimlich transformed into a Chrysalis, and what a beauty

Early on 11/23 I noticed the Chrysalis had become very dark, a view of the butterfly within, so I knew the butterfly would be emerging soon

And late that morning was rewarded with a view of a beautiful butterfly

I placed the jar, lid removed, into a shady and protected space in the garden, near a nectar plant, for release back into the wild.

Posted on November 23, 2020 09:59 PM by pollinatorweb