Metamorphosis of a Monarch

We caught a couple of monarch butterfly caterpillars and put them in a cage.

After a few days, they hung themselves by the tails and curled up.

At first the chrysalises they spun were green with gold trim.

Soon, we could see the butterflies' colors showing through.
Each chrysalis grew dark.
It became easy to see the precise pattern of the butterflies' wings.


They emerged with crumpled wings. . . . but the wings soon straightened.




When we released them, this one crawled onto my hand, looking for a higher spot to fly from.

It landed in a pine tree before flying away for good. 
Photography by Parker Grice