I found numerous small caterpillars on some small sunflower plants that were growing along a path through our woods. Â Most of the caterpillars were on top of the leaves.
I brought them home and fed them more sunflower leaves. The caterpillars had some color variation – I don’t know if it was individual variations, or differences in instars.
After about a week, they began to make chrysalises. There were two color variations in the chrysalises. I wonder if it was because of the different materials they were formed on.
This one was formed on the underside of a sunflower leaf.
This one formed on the screening at the top of the cage.
The butterflies hatched about a week later.
Here’s one with its old chrysalis in the background.
And one that’s ready to fly
Marcie O’Connor
Buffalo County, Wisconsin