Transformation During Vacation

In case you didn't figure it out from my previous post, I went away for a couple of days. Two, actually. I did a bug walk yesterday before I left, and figured that I would get home in time tonight to turn on the porch light, and maybe get a couple of good bugs there. Well, I got home at 10:30, turned on the porch light, and in an hour and fifteen minutes attracted three uncooperative moths. Not even very interesting ones, either. Fortunately, there was something more interesting on the back porch, and so I do have a Backyard Bug of the Day for you.

Backyard Bug of the Day:

The monarch caterpillar has become a chrysalis! I was a little surprised to find this, because I thought it had a couple more days of caterpillarhood left in it, but I did know it was a possibility, because it was pretty big yesterday morning. Based on the fact that the chrysalis still has a slightly unfinished look to it - it's not the green it will be - and also knowing the process, and what it was up to yesterday at noon, this obviously happened today. So now there will be a butterfly in 10 days or so! This will be the first monarch butterfly I have seen since last summer, and I think last year I only saw two (and no caterpillars). This was a happy find indeed.