The polydamas swallowtail chrysalis, I think, is very unique. The color often times depends on where they create it, as they can either be green, or brown.
The first one is well hidden in my Bahama cassia tree, resembling the color of a leaf. The last few photos are residing in my butterfly house and are brown, similar to the color of the branch.
It will be interesting to see how long before the butterflies emerge. The last batch overwintered, which was fascinating because I live in Southwest Florida where the temps usually do not turn too extreme.
Two monarch butterflies emerged today. One in the garden, and the other in our butterfly house.
Both of them hung out on my zinnia plants, which is a new feature in the garden, a DYI fountain, that has plants surrounding it in a pot.
The monarch butterfly’s scientific name is Danaus Plexippus, which means “sleepy transformation” in Greek. The male has two black spots in the center of its lower wings and are larger in size than the female. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the spots are scent glands, which help the males attract females.
The monarch caterpillars feed solely on milkweed leaves, which produces glycoside toxins, according to the National Wildlife Federation, which deters other animals from eating the caterpillars. The toxins are stored making them taste bad and remains after they emerge into a butterfly, continuing to protect them.
The monarch butterfly will emerge 10 to 12 days after making its chrysalsis. The transformation is incredible to witness as the green chrysalis eventually becomes translucent revealing the beautiful black and orange body within.
The butterfly emerges headfirst with small and shriveled wings. As it pumps body fluid through its wings they grow in size. The butterfly will remain in the same spot for up to two hours drying its wings, hardening them getting ready for flight. According to Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, during the two hours it is also waiting for air to replace some of its fluids.
The last of my polydamas swallowtail butterflies emerged today after being in its chrysalsis since before Thanksgiving 2024 in the butterfly house. It’s truly amazing how long they can overwinter. Our Southwest Florida temps did get a bit cold this winter, but it’s been pretty warm for some time now.
It flew directly to my daughter’s favorite bench in the garden where it hung out for quite some time, allowing me to admire its beauty a little bit longer.
More monarch butterflies have emerged and released. Thirty-two monarch butterflies have been released since Saturday, April 5. The wonderful news – there are still more chrysalsis in the butterfly house. Our total has now reached 628 monarch butterflies released over the past few years.
