You are lucky! I'm not positive, but it looks like it could be an Eastern Comma or Question Mark. Maybe a Red Admiral. MissSherry or another expert might know exactly what you have.

Post a pic when he or she comes out!

Thanks so much for replying! :) I'll definitely post pics when the little guy hatches. I can't wait!
I'm really curious to learn exactly what it is though :)

The spikes on the top (abdominal) portion lead me to support either a Question Mark or a Mourning Cloak chrysalis. My vote is for the latter, a Mourning Cloak. In addition to the shape, they're also known to pupate on buildings.

We'll see in a couple of weeks!

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff!
I can't wait to see what it ends up being. :)

I agree with Jeff, N. antiopa because of the shape, appartent color and because it's so widespread it could be found just about anywhere.

For future ID's it would help though if you put at least a state for the location. That often helps ID those species that are not so widespread.

I've always wanted mourning cloaks/N. antiopa, but, being on the very southern end of their range, I've only seen one adult once. Your chrysalis looks similar to but not exactly like a question mark, so I looked up what a mourning cloak chrysalis looks like, and I vote for mourning cloak - lucky you!! :)
Sherry

Oh, sorry about that! I actually live in Ontario, Canada. :)

Some people get all the luck--(I'm being cheeky I know); I'm always patrolling the willows around here hoping and hoping to see MCs, and no. I only see an adult here and there. Someone here was cutting down elm saplings and discovered Question Marks. I've been looking and looking for those and planting for them and NADA. Just now I walked by my hops and saw a little white and my heart jumped--Comma caterpillars!!! Nope. Bird poop.

Congratulations on your beautiful butterfly! Wish one would just show up on my doorstep too! :)

Aww! I'm sure you'll find one sometime soon, bernergrrl! :) Just keep looking.

Post a pic of your beauty when it emerges!

Do you have willow or elm in your area? Can't remember other hosts.

Hmm, well we have the occasional willow here and there, but for sure a lot of elm. :)

So how many instars does bird poop go through BG? LOL

N. antiopa is so common in the west it rivals P. rapae for being found everywhere. At just about any riparian area with willows you'll find their ova or larva from spring to fall.

20 odd years ago my son reared maybe 300 of them for a school project. Since they would emerge while we were away on a butterfly trip to southern Utah, we took the pupa with us in our RV. They started to eclose while we were camped at a place called Pine Lake about 15 miles north of Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park. The other campers and camp ground hosts were so taken with the releases every day and all the BF's flying around that somebody drove into town and told the local paper about it. A reporter showed up with a photog in tow to get the story. Made the front page of the paper with several pictures, but better yet allowed us to make the public aware of butterfly conservation.

Wow that's really neat ladobe :)

N. antiopa-raising was my gateway into butterflies. My dad found some cats, recognized them, and made a box for them.

Jeff