Rodolfo Quinio
Transformation of a Monarch chrysalis into a Monarch butterfly ©
IMG_3524
Video taken by my daughter, Rizza. © All rights reserved
a time lapse video
My daughter, Rizza raises Monarch butterflies from the eggs that she finds in the milkweed leaves in her garden & places in a small cube netting in the house. The egg hatches & grows into a caterpillar. Once the caterpillar increase its size it eventually turns into a chrysalis for about two weeks.
Notice the golden crown on the chrysalis, they are carotenoids. The caterpillar gets its carotenoids from the plants it's eating – which in the case of monarchs is in the milkweed family. These are also the ports of entry for oxygen.
Then this chrysalis transforms into a butterfly. When transformed, the butterfly stays put there for about 4 hours while the wings are wet. When the wings are dry, she then gets the butterfly & releases it in the garden.
This is the fourth generation (this year) Monarch butterflies that will be the final generation (early fall) that will migrate 1,000+ miles to Mexico.
Hope you all enjoy watching this time lapse video taken by Rizza.
P.S. Notice a few more caterpillars in the video that will soon transform into a chrysalis before becoming butterflies.
P.P.S. The Monarch Butterfly is an endangered species. Their population is plummeting toward extinction due to landscape-scale threats from pesticides, development and global climate change.
Transformation of a Monarch chrysalis into a Monarch butterfly ©
IMG_3524
Video taken by my daughter, Rizza. © All rights reserved
a time lapse video
My daughter, Rizza raises Monarch butterflies from the eggs that she finds in the milkweed leaves in her garden & places in a small cube netting in the house. The egg hatches & grows into a caterpillar. Once the caterpillar increase its size it eventually turns into a chrysalis for about two weeks.
Notice the golden crown on the chrysalis, they are carotenoids. The caterpillar gets its carotenoids from the plants it's eating – which in the case of monarchs is in the milkweed family. These are also the ports of entry for oxygen.
Then this chrysalis transforms into a butterfly. When transformed, the butterfly stays put there for about 4 hours while the wings are wet. When the wings are dry, she then gets the butterfly & releases it in the garden.
This is the fourth generation (this year) Monarch butterflies that will be the final generation (early fall) that will migrate 1,000+ miles to Mexico.
Hope you all enjoy watching this time lapse video taken by Rizza.
P.S. Notice a few more caterpillars in the video that will soon transform into a chrysalis before becoming butterflies.
P.P.S. The Monarch Butterfly is an endangered species. Their population is plummeting toward extinction due to landscape-scale threats from pesticides, development and global climate change.