Chrysalises

Chrysalis attached to the top of our terrarium

When most of the caterpillars had grown nice and large, we began to find them hanging, as if asleep, all over the place.  One was attached to our driveway gate post, hanging by a single tough strand. Others were on the porch on the sides of potted plants. One was on the side of our house hanging from the limestone rock. About a day later, we checked them again and they had turned into these brown chrysalides (also called chrysalises.) At first I thought they spun the brown chrysalis around their caterpillar body so they could pupate. However, after further research we found that they actually shed their caterpillar skin and this is what is underneath. We even found several of the tiny wads of their colorful shed skin where they had dropped off the caterpillar.

We collected several big caterpillars and put them in a terrarium with some fennel to eat. In a couple of days they were all hanging quietly, then they shed their skins, then at some point they spun some more threads to hold them more tightly to the tops and sides of the terrarium. 

Then we watched. And waited.