Tag: Pupating

Life cycle of the monarch butterfly – introduction

A diagram of the life cycle of the monarch butterfly showing all the stages and transitions: egg, hatching, caterpillar (larva), pupating, chrysalis (pupa), elcosing (emerging), butterfly (adult), and mating and laying eggs. (20 dpi)

As humans grow from babies to adults, we look very similar in shape and anatomy (body parts) throughout our lives. Our arms and legs get longer, we grow taller, our faces become more oval than round, and so on, but we are still recognisably human. This is similarly so for other mammals (animals that feed […]

Life cycle of the monarch – pupating

A fifth instar (5th instar) caterpillar of the monarch butterfly hanging in a J, attached to its silk mat, on a red background, preparing to pupate.

When the fifth-instar caterpillar has eaten enough (or the food has run out), it is time for the caterpillar to form its chrysalis (pupate). It finds a suitable spot that will allow it to hang, safe from predators. The caterpillar sits still for a while (up to a day). Then it spins a pad of […]