Yellow and Black Gets on Track

Hidden beneath a milkweed leaf, a tiny Monarch caterpillar begins its life with one goal: eat and grow.

Day after day, it eats. It grows. It sheds its skin. Five times.

Its yellow, black, and white stripes warn predators to stay away. Chemicals from the milkweed can make the caterpillar unpleasant to eat.

Then something changes.

The caterpillar stops eating.

It starts to wander.

It searches for a safe place.

It climbs.

It settles beneath a leaf.

Then it hangs still.

Very still.

What happens next seems almost impossible.

The caterpillar sheds its final skin. Beneath it appears a smooth, green chrysalis.

Inside, everything changes.

The caterpillar will not remain a caterpillar for long. Its body begins a remarkable transformation. Wings develop. Its shape changes. A butterfly takes form.

Days pass.

Then the chrysalis splits open.

A Monarch butterfly emerges.

Its wings are soft and folded. Slowly, they expand and strengthen.

Soon, the butterfly is ready.

It lifts into the air, leaving the milkweed behind.

A tiny caterpillar has become one of nature’s most remarkable travelers.