I've got cocoons!!!

I am soo happy here! I have 2 cocoons already formed. 4 more are on the top of the cage and are hanging by the web, getting ready to complete the cocoon!
I have been watching the first ones all day today, never seen any change in them. They were just hanging there with their heads curled up. I came in the house(cat's are on the back porch) and while I done up the dishes and put on a load of laundry....they turned green and made their cocoons! :( I missed it by a few minutes!
I was surprised to see that their heads fall off too. Strange when I saw a cat head laying on the bottom of the tank, my first thought was one had died. But nope! I checked the other end (both cats are on the top screen but on opposite ends of each other) Anyway I saw that they both had lost their heads (think it was the head, could have been the tail)
I am soo thrilled though, can ya tell??

woohoo.........too cool. So the tank idea worked out great then. This is exciting.........more pics please!!!!

o how very cool! And so quickly! Looks like you got 'em just in time.

Cheri'

You sure did get them just in time. That's really cool Molly. Can't wait to see the future pictures!

Congrats.
I'm still trying to picture Mollybee jumping and dancing around the cat tank with her camera :)

I got to see it!!!!!!! I mean I actually got to see the whole thing happen right in front of my eyes!!!
This is the neatest thing I have ever seen in my whole life!
I strongly suggest that if any one of you ever get the chance to watch this happen, do not pass it up!!!
It is simply amazing!!!!!

My son Casey got to see it this morning (while I got to sleep in) he was so excited he came and woke me up to tell me about it.
I had went out with my coffee this a/m and raised up the screen to look at them and there was still the one hanging there with its head curled up. I thought well it will be a while.
I sat back and drank my coffee and made a couple of phone calls and then my dh came out there. When he looked at them he said "its turning!" I jumped down there and started watching!
It had already started up its body about 1/2" or less but the more I watched the more it covered the cats body. The cat was wiggling around like mad as it slowly turned green. Then it had worked its way all the way to the top of it and that is when its head fell off.(almost looked painful LOL)
The cat continued to wiggle and wiggle even though he was then covered in the green.
Before I knew it, it had already started taking shape, and was the shape of the cocoon. The gold colored spots and line on it, hasn't quiet filled in but you can see where it will be.
I tell ya, I couldn't be more thrilled. I was in such a trance when I first saw it, I couldn't even think to get the camera! I knew I would miss it if I got up to get the camera so I waited until it had slowed down before jumping and running to get it.
I know now that I am going to keep the camera close so I don't have to miss a single shot!

Molly that is too cool! You could get progression shots and make a slide show and we could watch it too! :)

Their heads don't fall off, the skin splits and they wiggle out of it. That cocoon forms underneath the skin. Check this website out (the wiggle jiggle dance)... http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Caterpillar.htm#Cat5

What an awesome website! Thank you ButterflyGardnr :)

very cool, ButterlyGardnr.

and o so cool, MollyBee.

Cheri'

Glad you all like the website I found. I had a better one but it seems to have been moved and I haven't found it.

Something else I figured out when I actually watched a monarch go into chrysalis is that each the gold spots on the chrysalis is either the tip of it's leg or the tip of one of the mandibles (jaws--the jaws form the row of gold spots along the top of the chrysalis). What I'm still trying to figure out is HOW they get that metallic gold color!

Isn't it amazing?!!
I got to watch 2 more this a/m. I have a total of 6 in cocoons now. 4 have already made their silk buttons, so they are next in line. Seems like they are going up 2 at a time, make their silk buttons then drop and hang. Then 2 more come up and do the same thing.
From the way I have it counted, they should start to open on Sept 5th 6th and 7th. And from the way they are moving up to the top of the screen, it might be several days in a row that they open up.
The gold on the chrysalis is so neat I think. Almost as if someone drew it on with a gold pen!

Update,
I have a total of 10 cocoons!
14 hanging in the curled position,
11 more attached with their silk buttons.
and several that are still eatting!

Hard to count them but I'm thinking I have around 45! Can you believe it??
I had to bring them all in because there was this sheild shaped bug that was killing them! I couldn't stand seeing them hanging there all black from the bug bites.
Should start to see butterflies on Sept 5th!

Another update:

As of this a/m I have 29 cocoons!!
Even found where one of them had gotton out of the tank and went to the top of the back porch and made its cocoon there!

Mollybee, this is too much fun! The nerve of that one cat sneaking out like that, after you rescued him from the evil shield bug and all ... guess he got claustrophobic!

Post pics when they start to come out. I'll be gone for a week starting on the 6th, but I can't wait to see them when I get home!

Cheri'

Another count this a/m up to 36! all in their little green cocoons :) If I counted right I should get the first butterfly on Sept 5th. Keeping fingers crossed tightly!

Wow! You could almost have your own butterfly release event with all those monarchs. You'll know they are ready to hatch when the chrysalis starts to turn dark and then clear so you can see their wings. So do you have ANY milkweed left now???

Actually I went out this a/m and gathered up the last bit of milkweed leaves and stems to feed the remaining few cats.
I had actually been letting them eat just the leaves and they were leaving the stem part of each leaf, but these last few are going to have to eat them soft stems because that is all there is left.
I have pretty much been feeding them for 2 days then they go up and start making their chrysalis.
(by the way how to you pronounce Chrysalis?)
Just done another quick count and there are 37 of them now! Seems there are only a few left that are still eatting.
So with all luck they will get enough of the stems to finish out the cycle.
Speaking of changing colors, I have noticed that there are a couple of them that are different colors. Almost a tanish yellowie gold color(crazy way to describe the color isn't it? LOL)
There are even a couple that have black spots on them? Still don't know what is up with them.
Out of I say 45 cats I have only had 4 to die. They would go up and do their silk button then instead of dropping and curling their heads they would just be straight. Then soon turned black. So 4 outta 45 isn't bad.
Gonna take some more pics today too.

MB, there is some sort of a virus or something that lives on the milkweed that can kill the cats and the chrysalides (plural of chrysalis). It causes them to turn black and die. Sure hope you don't have that, cuz the only way to get rid of the virus is to kill all the existing milkweeds and replant everything. A friend of mine had to do this.

Actually there is just the one that has black spots, and its only like 2 small spots.
All the others look normal as can be though.
and some times the other cats that were not hanging, would go up and crawl around on the top of the tank and mess with the ones that were hanging in position. They would fight and thrash themselves trying to make the other cat leave them in peace.
Keeping my fingers crossed!!

http://davesgarden.com/t/396392/

http://davesgarden.com/t/396392/#new

Check it out!!!! I finally got a butterfly!!!!!

Yeah!!!!