Carlos the Caterpillar: The Larva Stage - Part 3

I'm so excited because I was able to capture Carlos shedding his skin yesterday. It's just another one of the wondrous marvels in the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly. Monarch caterpillars shed up to 5-6 times in their short life of a caterpillar. Actually witnessing this doesn't happen too often. Carlos was lying completely still for nearly 24 hrs, so I knew he was due for a shed sometime soon. The first picture is a little blurry, but this is right after he wriggled out of his last bit of skin.

Carlos, after the shed.

That little blob behind Carlos is his skin. The Monarch caterpillars will actually turn around and eat their skin after they shed it. It provides a ton of nutrients for them.

AB finally knows what she's looking at, and she wants to get her hands on that little guy.

He's almost as big as her index finger. When he's about ready to make his chrysalis, he will be almost exactly the size, width and length, of her finger.

Here's a close-up after he shed his skin.

Here is my sweet little ragamuffin and Carlos. Her bow days are starting to become non-existent and therefore, we have some scraggly hair!

I'm giving it another week, and hopefully Carlos will be in his chrysalis! It's so exciting!