Hi Bev, the chrysalis will eclose in about 10-14 days. IF it's healthy and hasn't been parasitized, or perhaps found by a predator and eaten, or some other hazards that could befall the chrysalis. However, it's already beaten enormous odds to make it to this stage (as you've noticed - lots little cats, not many make it to pupate). Perhaps next year you can help them along and bring some in to raise? :-D Monarchs are a tropical species. They can't overwinter in a temperate climate. They can't even fly below approx. 50 degrees F (10 C). In North America, there are 2 primary over-wintering locations - along the coast of California, and some fir forests in the mountains of central Mexico, where they are occasionally exposed to harsh weather, but many still manage to survive. Black Swallowtails, on the other hand, ARE a temperate species, and many of the chrysalises that I have in my tank right now will probably over-winter with me (in the garage) and eclose next Spring. Amazing that they can survive snow, ice, and freezing temps outside! (PS. We are pretty smart on this forum, but the real knowledge about b-flies is on the Butterfly forum! :)

Hi again, Susan and Murray, Still having a hard time thinking we have a huge variety of butterflies up here since it's so darn cold and the season is so short, but they may be because I'm still a newbie. I'd love to get the Variegated Frit up here...soon, I hope. I'm keeping an eye on all of the violets in the area (well, as much as I can...). I'll try to keep my out for silk moths. I guess a lot like the birch, aspen, and beech we have out here. Any tips on finding them? Update on those admiral caterpillars. #2 caterpillar is a Viceroy--I'll get a pic when he's done getting his wings in order. he just eclosed a little while ago. I'll have to go look at pics I took of him to see if there is any difference between him and the other one when they were caterpillars. One thing that was different about the chrysalis was the viceroy's had two little dots that looked like eyes. I didn't get a pic, darn. Just so fascinating!

That is a lovely rose, Jane. I simply drool with envy over that and also Claire's lovely climbing roses, but I fear I am a zone too far north for roses to really do well. My neighbor has a few, but she grows them next to her house foundation (now that is a thought of a way I could grow some!) and she covers them during the winter months. I believe that most winters here (because of our altitude) reach conditions closer to zone 3, although we are supposed to be zone 4. I do have some micro-mini roses, because my Dad sends me one every year on Valentines day, and they typically last outdoors only about 2 years on average. Covering them during winter doesn't seem to increase their cold resistence or longevity. I laugh about my orange garden! All my other flower beds contain multi-colored specimens, and that garden was supposed to as well, but only orange flowers have survived there. Marigolds over-ran and choked out the red geraniums intended to share their pots, and pink and purple flowers met a similar fate. Anything orange thrived, so rather than read my orange flowers the bill of floral civil rights, I just gave up and let my bigoted orange flowers have their little gated community. I give them disapproving looks from time to time, but no longer try to integrate hapless blue, red, or purple blooms. I know what will happen. I really, really want to try growing a tithonia/Mexican sunflower, Pixielou, but I fear I am a zone too cold for them to ever flower. The plants in my orange garden would definitely embrace tithonia, but I don't think it would really fit there. I'd like a row of them along the back foundation of my house, but with sun only half the day, they'd be at an even further climactic disadvantage. Still I keep eye-ing them. Maybe I should start them early in pots. And lo and behold, as soon as I saw the photos of Indian pipe I was struck with nostalgic longing, not having seen those since I was a kid. Then what do I spy on a walk around our wooded path, but two Indian pipe fungi growing under a pine tree! I didn't have time to get the camera, but there they were! I wonder if this is a particularly favorable year for Indian pipe here in New England.

Asclepias--plants in the milkweed family BST--black swallowtail bidens--a group of flowers in the daisy family; attractive to butterflies BS--Black Swallowtail cat--caterpillar, the larva of a butterfly or moth comma--a type of butterfly cremaster--the 'stem' of a chrysalis eclose--the emerging of the adult butterfly from the chrysalis or pupa frass--caterpillar excrement, like bird droppings on a smaller scale frit--fritillary, a type of butterfly GF--gulf fritillary gregarious--Caterpillars having a tendency to group together or live in a colony GS, GST--giant swallowtail GSF--Great Spangled Fritillary hibernaculum--web enclosure made by hibernating caterpillars host--the specific plant a caterpillar eats HP--host plant id--identify, identification instar--a stage of caterpillar growth; the skin is then shed like a snake io--a type of moth ladies, lady--painted lady butterflies looper--a type of moth caterpillar LTS--long-tailed skipper meconium--fluid expelled by a butterfly or moth after eclosing NABA--North American Butterfly Association OE--Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, scientific name of parasitic spore harmful to Monarchs osmeterium--smelly protruding horns used by swallowtail caterpillars as a defense ovipositing--laying eggs peacock--a type of butterfly PL--painted lady butterfly pod--as in seed pod PVS--pipevine swallowtail queen--a type of butterfly question mark--a type of butterfly RSP--Red-spotted Purple butterfly skipper--a type of butterfly soldier--a type of butterfly sulfur--a type of butterfly TS--Tiger Swallowtail USDA--United States Department of Agriculture white--a type of butterfly zebra--a type of butterfly