Fallen Caterpillar changing to chrysalis ok?
ButterflyJanet
10 years ago
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KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
10 years agoButterflyJanet
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Caterpillar eating Chrysalis
Comments (1)OMG, Oh so sorry! That happened to me too! twice! Just a few weeks ago. After that I had to separate every single one of them. Unfortunately the lil guy didn't make it. I removed it after it happened just to see what would happen in the end, but it has not emerged. That one was the first to enclose. I still have it, hoping that it will be ok, but as of right now it just started getting them air pocket thingys. I have released every butterfly that enclosed AFTER it.....See MoreBlack on Monarch chrysalis.
Comments (24)Tdogmom...when the Monarchs get to last instar they eat like there's no tomorrow...as if you didn't know! Around 7 or 8 PM I bring in a big handful of leaves and think it will hold them til morning. Luckily I wake up a couple times during the night so I find them just sitting on the sticks waiting for "more, please"...LOL. So I turn on the back porch lights and traipse out there with the flashlight, pick more leaves, wash them and put them in cleaned out container. Some nights I'm smarter or just in better "memory state" and keep a stalk in water in fridge so I don't have to make the night run to the garden but never seem to have enough for the big guys...and the little ones seem to zoom in milkweed consumption after 4th instar. If I had more than the 9 Monarchs I'd raise them differently with a potted plant so they'd have more room to roam and be in a more natural setting. Didn't want to take the chance with these 9 since they were all different sizes and worried about cannibalization so kept them segregated. Geez...sounds like I'm running a boot camp for delinquent Monarch cats...LOL....See Moreblack swallowtail chrysalis
Comments (11)I know it seems overwhelming, and don't get too worried. Do what you can. --You can do the same thing now with your plants. If you are leaving the material in your garden, critters stay in the garden. You can even pull up the zinnias and remove root balls etc if you want to. --You can make paths to access your plants; that way too you're not compacting your soil. --If you cut them stems down, and leave piles in your garden (I usually chose spots in the back where I know they will be hidden) or under bushes nearby, etc) you won't need to be so worried about searching through each stem. If there is a chrysalis, the butterfly can still emerge through a light pile; it will crawl out and find a place to inflate its wings. Think mini-piles of compost piles placed around your garden/yard. You can use some large clippers to cut down large sections of plants. This is a big change for some people who are used to it being completely cleared out. --Hope it's been a little helpful--the pictures--it's something I think is an overlooked part of butterfly gardening and is contrary to what we are taught, but my gardens do great (even better than when I didn't since I;m not removing tons of organic matter). I have so many birds, bees, and other benficials in my yard too. It's a little more work (or less if you leave it over the winter), but to me it's worth it....See MoreDead chrysalis? Black Swallowtail Questions
Comments (9)Sounds like this one didn't make it. Take heart...2 out of 3 isn't bad. Black coloration (Totally Black) is not good in any species where chrysalids are concerned. This usually indicates a fungus or bacteria is busy breaking down the now dead pupa. This is common and is natures way of insuring the strongest individuals survive....See MoreMissSherry
10 years agoButterflyJanet
10 years agoMissSherry
10 years agoHU-121954279
3 years agoClarissa Wong
2 years ago
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