Chrysalis

This morning I noticed that a Black Swallowtail caterpillar was on a milkweed plant.  I did not think that milkweed was a food source,  and it seemed to be upside down, so I did some checking.  The little guy was getting ready for metamorphosis.  Here is what he looked like about 11 am today.  You can just see the thread of silk that he has attached to the leaf.

Late this afternoon, I, at first, though he was gone.  But on closer inspection, I found that he has begun making his chrysalis.  I think the caterpillar will stay in this stage somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12 days.  Some sources say that the green chrysalis is rather rare;  brown is more common.

And in other butterfly news, I am fairly certain that these are the eggs of a Monarch butterfly.  I have compared this picture with verified pictures on websites.  I will be watching them.