Butterfly Day - More Monarchs with Some Friends

Here is this week's #butterflyday (and insects) post sponsored by @whatisnew before I show you the monarch larvae we'll start out with some other critters I found.

Here's a red spotted purple butterfly I found while mushroom hunting. The latin name is limenitis arthemis this one didn't quite have the red spots some others have, it may have just emerged.

I also found this shiny stag beetle a few feet away from the butterfly above. The latin name is Pseudolucanus capreolus. Here's video of it crawling on my arm https://d.tube/v/sketch.and.jam/Qmco1VhecTUZ7FP1eFZHXWoPFb76TVVpkdun8sJx7kzAcj

I found this toothbrush looking character on my way to work in the morning. I think this is a type of tussock moth most likely a Definite-marked Tussock Moth - Orgyia definita.

Spider season is starting in Chicago already as we approach fall. Tons of these orb weavers fill in the gaps around all the buildings downtown.

Now for the monarchs. Here's a plump caterpillar munching on the milkweed.

More caterpillars we have small, medium and large. The small guy is just right of the big one.

Here's a caterpillar starting to form a pupa.

Sometimes the hanging process goes awry these two may have been in a bad spot and dried out in the sun while hanging.

Here's a couple fresh crysalis.

As they get closer to emerging from the crysalis it starts changing color from light green to goldish brown.

The orange and black from the monarch's wings begin to show through as it ages.

This one is almost ready to hatch, the crysalis is fully transparent.

I hope I can get pictures of the emerging process but it seems while I'm at work they emerge and on my way back I find an empty shell.

Here's an empty crysalis.

Finally a shot of a full grown monarch. Happy #butterflyday

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