I've been tracking the progress of caterpillars at the house I nanny for. Kim's green thumb has brought swan plants into her garden, which are known for attracting monarch butterflies. Evelyn and I take many a trip to the garden to check them out!
It starts off as a tiny egg, that hatches into that dark line on the upper leaves (a baby caterpillar).
And he gets a little bit bigger, eating through the leaves.
And then he gets a lot bigger...he's totally hungry!
Once full, he hangs into a letter 'J' and a cocoon is formed.
As time passes the cocoon gets darker and darker, it's almost as if you can see the colors of the butterfly's wings!
Within a couple of weeks, a butterfly emerges, leaving a broken empty cocoon (foreground).
Next up, I'll try and grab a photo of the monarchs flitting about the garden! Every time I see one, I am convinced they're one of the caterpillars I've been watching!
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