Can you post another picture? The one posted is blurry, so it is hard to see the spots. If the spots are under the cuticle of the chrysalis then it is very possible it is OE. If it is on the surface, then it is something else. Sometimes there is an injury to the chrysalis (like when another caterpillar walks over it) and it can be dark as well. Dark spots in general can be lots of things. Often it is melanin produced in response to a pathogen (bacteria, virus, etc.) or injury. OE is one of the few pathogens that the dark spots are actually the spores. Once the butterfly emerges (if it emerges)the spores are then on the outside of the insect on the scales. The spores are large enough to be seen by microscope. Hope that helps, Elisabeth

Not to totally dispute that, but researchers are on the fence as to just what keeps some of them in South Florida. Some say that there has always been a strain of Monarch that have over-wintered in South Florida. Some think that it was just a matter of a migrating group that got sidetracked due to changing landscapes and ended up in South Florida. Supposedly, some Monarchs have made it to Hawaii (or were released there) and are now year-round residents of those islands. They even have Monarchs over in Australia that have a similar, but upside down migration. Personally, I do not know, but I would hazard a guess that the food isn't what is keeping them here. I have a friend up in Michigan who grows milkweed in her yard for the Monarchs and many of her neighbors also grow it, but the Monarchs always leave long before hers is killed off by a frost. So she ends up having a month or more of the milkweed growing unhindered and reseeding itself. If they took their cues from the food, then they would stick around until the frosts come in. And supposedly once they go through the hormonal change for the long flight to Mexico as well as their extended lifespan (that really is an amazing feat on their part), they don't switch back until they have migrated back and are ready to breed again. So the idea that they switch to Migration Mode, travel to South Florida, switch to Breeding Mode and then switch back to Migration Mode in the Spring just seems off to me. If anything, I would say it is probably a number of factors that have put a year-round group in South Florida and no one plant or any other one thing is to blame.

In my experience, a butterfly should emerge within 7-10 days of the chrysalis (generally, on the 7-day side if the weather's warm). Again, I'd just keep watch -- within the next few days, either a butterfly will emerge or (more likely) the chrysalis will slowly turn a dark brown...not good. A healthy butterfly/chrysalis will be almost jet black (with bits of orange -- the wings! -- appearing) right before the butterfly emerges: Fingers crossed!

I also had a cat that began to form it’s chrysalis on a leaf, then fell a short distance and “bled” a bit of its green fluid. I rehung it after it appeared that the chrysalis was sealing back as it hardened. It survived and successfully became a butterfly I released. I also had two other harder falls during the 2021 season that did not survive so I quickly euthanized them. I think the first post asking about the diagonal lines differs from the damaged chrysalis pictures. I had one do that and it’s the butterfly’s antenna forming. The chrysalis is clear. You can begin to see the parts of the little beasties as it gets closer to the time they are to eclose. Start your milkweed seeds SOON, place seeds in the north on soil once cold is there for good (cold, not freeze). Step on them gently to make contact with soil. Nature will cold stratify for you and milkweed will emerge in its season! Throw some in woodlands or ditches near you!