What is this? Some kind of cocoon?

[msgrau]

Found two of these hanging in our backyard near a tomato plant. Has some sort of gold rim around it. Any idea what it is?

[AgentOrange]

Looks like fun. Keep us posted.

[msgrau]

I saw one of those big gnary caterpillars a few days back crawling around the fence of the tomato plant. Maybe it made a cocoon for itself? Do those things turn into those pretty monarch butterflies? I'll keep my eye on the two cocoons and see if I can find more of them! :)

[TNRabbit R.I.P.]

Looks like a Monarch butterfly cocoon: http://antsbeesbutterfliesnature.blo...morphosis.html

[msgrau]

Cool! I found a total of three. I'll take pictures over the next few days while waiting for these guys to hatch.

[msgrau]

So I named all three of them. Willy, Billy, and Nelly.
Billy hatched last night I missed it. Willy and Nelly look like they're going to hatch tonight. Nelly is too high to get a pic of... but here is Willy:

You can see the wings forming really nicely. Especially in Nelly, but couldn't get a pic of her.
Here was Billy:

Sad I missed him

[elgrau]

Billy belongs to the world now.... :drunk:

[msgrau]

Willy hatched!
Look how big he is compared to his cocoon!

[TNRabbit R.I.P.]

Cool!

For the next one, we expect time-delay video of the entire event

[msgrau]

Lol, I literally have been checking on them obsessively, but they morph so slowly I don't think I could do that.
I just got lucky and saw Willy just as he hatched. He chilled for awhile outside his cocoon, probably tired from wiggling out of that tiny thing. Then he flew away...
Nelly's cocoon is REALLY dark. Totally can see every outline of the wing. Might get a step ladder or something to get some pics of her. I'm sure she will be hatched before tomorrow A.M.

[AgentOrange]

This is so interesting to me.
I thought Monarchs had to have Popular trees which are numerous in the South and my yard.

Keep us updated.

[TNRabbit R.I.P.]

This is so interesting to me.
I thought Monarchs had to have Popular trees which are numerous in the South and my yard.

Keep us updated.

We have a lot of POPLAR trees here, too (which I suppose are popular also), & where I grew up in TN there were TONS of them. Used to see a lot of Monarchs, but not as many as Tiger Swallowtails. We were ATE UP with them.

[msgrau]

I have no idea where these cocoons came from. We have a lot of unusual plants in our backyard (mostly because of my brother). It's like a jungle back there... but it is so cool! Willy is hanging out on one her plants right now... or maybe Billy came back. :P

[elgrau]

Almost like magic: ugly catepillar "transforms" into a beautiful butterfly. How the fuck does THAT happen? And scientist have it all figured out. Yeah right... And all this just "evolved" from nothing, right?