I found 3 of these on some plants that I was gutting back yesterday. I think they are for Monarchs, right? Are they supposed to be in Texas in late December? Any idea on how long before they hatch (I don't know the proper term)?
Thanks.
Monarch chrysalis?
Ive been seeing them on my plants too. They came so late this year I almost trimmed back all my milkweed plants last month but Im glad I didn't. They are Monarchs and I was wondering the same thing. In summer they hatch pretty quickly but now in winter I don't know.
Monarchs use only milkweeds for host plants. In some areas with only rare mild freezes (if any) they might stick around in winter. Where I am the only Monarch that anyone might see now would be passing through to a warmer area. And I've only seen one in the last month or so. Here's some info on the Monarch's life cycle:
http://askabiologist.asu.edu/research/monarchs/life3.html
Congrats on being lucky enough to have those chrysalides!
I have milkweed, specifically for them and in the last couple of years have seen some butterflies and a few cats. Never saw these guys. I told my DS that we should take pics everyday and then lay them out. I figure his science teacher might be interested and he thinks the chrysalides are pretty neat. Thanks for the info!
If you have a reptile cage, or any type of container with screen, you can bring them in and then release after watching them. It only takes 10 days from the chrysalis' formation to the butterfly emerges. You may still have a lot of caterpillars on the plants so look carefully. As you can see they are super small.
Our butterflies must be getting ready. The walls of the Chrysalis are starting to thin and you can see the formation of the butterflies wings through the walls. Told DS that we need to start checking them everyday, so we can see what happens. He is starting to get more excited now that something is happening.
All three of our butterflies successfully made it to fly away. I didn't see any of them, but DS got pics on one before it left. The other two left when we weren't home. Now everyone I know wants butterfly weed seeds. Luckily, that is never a problem given how many seeds they put off!
So glad they all made it!! So far you have a 100% success rate!!
I was kind of concerned because we have been having some very cool/cold weather and it just seemed an odd time of year to have them there. I haven't seen the butterflies at all, but hopefully, they are equipped to put up with the cold.