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! :)

This is a theory that I worked on a couple of years back based on the cardenolide content of various species of asclepias, and past studies and research on that as well as latex content. This is only theoretical, but it seems normal Monarch's of course will prefer a native asclepias in the Ohio/Mich area, which is usually always the native a. incarnata over a. syriaca, due to the fact common milkweed has a higher latex content, (which cats have a way to avoid by a specific chewing pattern, but if they can get less latex to start with they seem to prefer that). I say "normal", because there is also a good percentage of Monarch's that are infected with parasites that have offspring this is passed onto. There was a study done by an evolutionary biologist at Emory University down in Atlanta that seemed to determine that Monarch's that are infected have a unique ability to "self-medicate", and lay eggs on milkweed with the highest level of cardenolides, which would be tropical milkweed (a. curassivica), and this may have a protective anti-parasitic action, in addition to the other protective action the toxins give them. Also, MonarchWatch Organization has compared 14 different species of asclepias and determined the "best" was a. curassivica, although in the south where it can grow as a perennial there have been some issues with O.E. So basically it seems that a good combo to have growing to induce the greatest egg laying activity, are both a. incarnata and a. curassivica (as an annual here, obviously), and the plant that has the greatest ability to attract nectaring Monarch's is Liatris ligulastylis (Meadow Blazing Star) due to a yet undetermined chemical signal that nothing else seems to have that is specific to Monarch's. I would call it the catnip for Monarch's, it is pretty amazing (almost bizarre). True that neither tropical milkweed or L. ligulastylis are native here, but we are talking about helping to population boost. Both are in fact native species that Monarch's do come across in their travels normally. So the ultimate Monarch Trilogy to have would be swamp and tropical milkweeds, and Meadow Blazing Star, and of course as many other natives of the local genotype as possible, with native New England Aster in the fall to help fuel them for migration.

-butterflymomok, my thanks for the confirmation. -lindacatherine, I don't know of a local source. Perhaps I should ask in the regional forum to see if someone in my local area could direct me to a wild source. So glad to hear you have a place to go for extra leaves. These little Monarch cats have much bigger appetites than the BST cats! Mary

Update on 3 of my chrysalises! 3 eclosed yesterday after approx 4 weeks - amazing experience and so beautiful! Sad news though that one fell from the spot it was holding onto (it was a little windy) right after eclosing. It was crawling in the soil so I put a stick down and it climbed up and I hung it from a nearby plant with a clothespin. The wings plumped up for awhile but never fully finished. I found it this morning dead. So very sad that it made it thru almost to the end to die. Butterfly raising, although so exciting, can be stressful. I understand why people raise them indoors and then release them!