Butterflies do not spin cocoons as some people think.
Instead they shed their last skin and it hardens and becomes the outer shell of the chrysalis. The shedding process is called molting.
When a butterfly caterpillar is ready to pupate it spins a silk girdle which it uses to attach itself to the stem of a plant and it's body forms a C shape. See above photo.
The above are Eastern Black Swallowtail Chrysalis Photos.
Aren't they beautiful?
I love the intricate shades of brown and at the very bottom you can see the last skin that was shed(it's still attached) before this caterpillar transformed into the chrysalis stage!
The ones I put in my butterfly tent this summer had lots of parsley to eat.
Also I placed several sticks for them to attach themselves onto when the time was right!
Sometimes these chysalises are green.
Looks like I will have 3 swallowtail chrysalises spending the winter on my back porch in my butterfly tent shown above. I have read that eastern black swallowtails have 2-3 generations a year and then an overwintering generation.
It's a time to wait for something special in the spring and just as the first flowers bloom, these butterflies will emerge!
