I have a caterpillar named Houdini, it has a crooked butt and I was so concerned when it came time for it to cling to its silk pad by the cremaster. My fear was it would be too weak to pierce the silk pad. The whole family watched anxiously as it tried many times to latch onto that little silk button. But very happily, it finally managed it. It's now a J! We're so proud of its effort.

This was such an informative video. I’ve been raising Monarchs for 50 years and never knew about sexing the crysalids. Thanks for teaching me something new!

Frank ~ I’ve been working with raising the Monarch butterflies for at least a decade now. I never knew that we could tell the sex of the chrysalis! My first batch of eggs hatched yesterday (7/11/24 which is late for central NJ). The milkweed plants bloomed before the eggs appeared! Being retired, we release between 40 - 100 Monarchs each year!

Oh my goodness!!! This video was amazing!!! I especially like the part of telling male from female chrysalis!! I'm going out right now to look at the 2 that I have.

Thank you for posting this! I’ve been binging your videos, as just a few days ago I found a monarch caterpillar on my front lawn. I took it in and named it Cornelius and now he’s growing fast! I followed your DIY caterpillar box video and he has now found his way to the top mesh. So I’m very excited to see his transformation, I’m hoping to set up a GoPro so I don’t miss it 😄

In a moment... In a twinkling of an eye we will all be changed...

Sure you wont see this 2 years later but had to comment. Here in central Florida thousands of people are trying to save the Monarchs. But, they are buying tropical milkweed from big box stores. This is detrimental to the Monarch. Education is key! I have a butterfly garden and just love watching mommas lay their eggs. Never had a problem with predators but this year is different. May have to build your Monarch cage.

Thanks for all the info

Thanks for such great information. We are homeschoolers. Starting our 6th year. Love doing nature science! We found 6 eggs, all hatched, but only 3 have survived. One is about to j-hang. Is it normal for some not to survive? Our enclosure is 16x16x24. We cleaned the enclosure and changed leaves 2xs a day.

Just came on your video. I love monarch's and did have a butterfly house and I raised and released 40 butterflies. I seen them chain from a Caterpillar to a chrysalis and watch them hatch. Now I know how to tell a male chrysalis from a female. Love your video. I subscribed to learn more.

I love your videos and have learned lots from you! Thanks for all of them. I currently have 8 chrysalises, one Monarch emerged this morning and two released (didn’t get my tags in time due to backlog) this morning that emerged yesterday morning. I have a butterfly garden and plenty of Milkweed and am looking forward to many years of rearing Monarchs here in Knoxville, TN.

I learned something! Well I often do learn from you but I now know how to tell the gender of a monarch chrysalis. I think the chrysalises are beautiful!

Enjoyed your videos on Monarchs, wish you would do more! Please. BTW, since you are changing your brand name, how about something simpler,... like... Backyard Nature. Too many words and people won't remember. :)

Thank you !

Wonderful information! My friend and I just got 5 Monarch caterpillars this early this year in New Jersey, we are really wondering what genders they are. After seeing your video, I am sure we will have a lots of fun to identify them. Thank you for putting this up.

Thank you for giveing me advise on how to idenify if my pupa a male of female

Thanks for your awesome videos! I made an enclosure using window screen. It looks like the silk is detaching and I'm afraid the chrysalis is going to fall off. Any ideas on how I could prevent it from falling?

My granddaughter discovered a caterpillar in the J position on a plant outside our house. We live in Southern California. It’s been colder than usual here this winter. I wrote the date down that it formed its chrysalis and I checked on it every day. It looked healthy. Guess how many days it was in the chrysalis? 43 days! On the 41st day I noticed it’s starting to get clearer looking so I knew it was alive and it was going to hatch soon so I cut a part of the plant off and brought it in the house. It hatched into a beautiful female butterfly. I had to keep it overnight because we had rain but the following day I took it out, and as soon as the sun hit its wings, it started slowly opening and closing them, then took off! I have no doubt that the cold weather is what kept it from forming into a butterfly quickly. I have many gulf frittalary butterflies around the yard at certain times of the year and usually they are in their chrysalis for three weeks even though everything on the Internet says around 14 days. I am always fascinated by this miracle.

Really appreciate her program, I’ll be working with Native Americans and help restore, monarch habitats so that they will be able to island hop their way along their migration routes in California migration

We found a monarch chrysalis on the ground while weeding. That was Sunday. It was the beautiful green w/ gold dots. Brought inside. It's resting on a folded napkin in a tiny container, no lid. Today is Thur & it has slowly been darkening to where I can see its wings. I have one inside house plant. Should I put the container in the dirt? How is laying on its side going to affect the emergence?

We have a crystalist now day 3 it has been dark almost like a black/ dark brown i think it may be dead i have like 6 other crystalist near that one is it safe to keep it hanging there? I made a box with screen around the sides and to get to these is not easy but if I must take this out I will do so?

I have a newly hatched monarch that does seem to be able to zip its proboscis - is there any way to help it or is it doomed!?

Is it normal for the caterpillar to remain still for a long time before it attaches to the silk pad? Or does it attach immediately?

What happens if when it goes into the initial chrysalis it can’t shake the exoskeleton off?

Shit why am i watching this its 4 am i dont even own a pet

Good stuff we are rearing 12 caterpillars

I’m terrified of millipedes and one was in your into…🫣 You’re lucky you make good content! Lol