I am so sorry you have had such a worrisome introduction to butterflies. Unfortunately, any sign of fluid leaking from inside a butterfly at any stage of development is bad news. That tiny crack can allow bacteria to enter. Maybe someone else will have a different opinion.

You'll see all kinds of advice on the internet on how to rehang caterpillars and chrysalises but it is unnecessary, time consuming, and as you found, potentially dangerous to the Lep.

Yeah you guys are all right. I shouldn't have moved him, although based on the state of my garden that is under the window where he is hanging, I truly dont think he would have survived.

The good news is, I woke up this morning and he had completley shed his skin and is starting his chrysalis!

My q is what do I do now? KC I knwo you said not to try to re-hang it, and you're right there is advice everywhere online about how to do so. I can leave him laying, but should I roll him over once the chrysalis is hard? I read that even the pressure from their tiny bodies can cause damage to their wings when laying inside.

Rolling it over is not going to hurt so no reason not to do it.

Have it lay on a paper towel like Sherry said. That allows the butterfly to grip on something when it needs to pull itself from the chrysalis. Then the butterfly needs to easily find something to climb so it can hang and dry its wings. Hanging vertically is all it needs. I used to use a margarine tub lined with a Kleenex. Butterfly would walk up the Kleenex just high enough for its wings to inflate. I don't recommend this since if you don't find it soon enough, the butterfly starts flying around your house. These days, I use Insect Lore butterfly pavilions.

Picture of the red admiral chrysalises that I currently have in one of my butterfly pavilions. You can see one of the chrysalises is empty.

That's a lot of chrysalides, KC!

I move my chrysalides on the floor to the edge of the cage where they usually climb up the paper towel onto the side of the cage to the top, where they hang upside down 'til they dry off, and their wings are ready to go.

I'm thrilled that your caterpillar became a chrysalis, Dancer - congratulations!

Sherry

A couple butterflies that successfully eclosed 3 days ago using the "lay the chrysalis on a paper towel" method. :D I stuck the camera inside the butterfly pavilion to get these pics.

I buy the pavilions cheaply off Ebay from other people who no longer want them.
I'm linking an example. I won't be bidding on this one because I prefer the old design that also has a zippered opening on the side. Insect Lore still sells them but they only come with the top of the line classroom kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Insect-Lore-Butterfly-Garden-Mesh-Habitat-Educational-Toy-/301978560068

I'll check that out, KC.

Your butterflies are gorgeous! I think the giant swallowtail is a male, but I'm not too sure.

Sherry

I never sex the GSTs I release. I don't even remember how to do it. My current focus is trying to sex waved sphinxes. The ones I raised last year are eclosing. Short of dissecting them, I'm not figuring out which is which. With their mom, I just stuck all the ones I caught in bags and she was the only one that started laying eggs.

Thanks so much, everyone! I am really excited that he/she became a chrysalis. i just have a few more questions if you guys don't mind (I told you- I'm a newbie haha!)

1 - When does a 'soft' chrysalis become a 'hard' chrysalis?

2 - I read online that this type of Butterfly is fairly large, and therefore I *should* roll the chrysalis so there isn't too much weight on each side. When and how often should I do that? I rolled him about 1/2 hr ago and I saw a little wiggle out of him...I hope I didn't hurt him.

3 - How long does it take to go from chrysalis to butterfly?

4- In terms of a place to keep it, could I put it in a jar with a paper towel rubber-banded overtop as a 'lid', and holes poked into the paper towel? Would that be sufficient?

5 - Once the butterfly does emerge, is there something I should look for to see if there is an injury leftover from when he fell?

6 - How long do I wait before I release him?

Thanks again! Sorry for all the questions!

Dancer, I touch chrysalides as little as possible, so I can't tell you for sure how long it takes for one to become hard. I think it's about a week.

I've never heard of rolling a chrysalis - maybe KC has? I've had many that have fallen, I put them in a certain place near the side of the cage, and they stayed in the same place during their entire chrysalis life. They had the same very high rate of successful emergence of a perfect butterfly as those that hung naturally. The more you handle a chrysalis, the more danger there is of accidental injury to it.

The length of time it takes to go from chrysalis to butterfly depends on the species. Generally, the bigger the butterfly, the longer it takes, remembering that late fall chrysalides will usually overwinter. The average time might be ?3 weeks? - KC may have studied that more than I have.

I never put mine in jars, because of the danger of mold/mildew in an enclosed space that would kill the chrysalis - I don't think that holes punched in the top of a paper towel will allow for enough circulation. Do you have a mesh pop-up laundry basket? That could be used. Or even a strainer over a piece of wood or paper plate. I think cross-circulation is important, at least it is here in the hot and humid Deep South.

I seem to remember that once I had a caterpillar a long time ago that had a tiny leak, and the adult butterfly had a slightly bent wing? My memory may be faulty, but at this point, all you can do is hope everything works out.

The butterfly needs at least 4 or 5 hours for its wings to strengthen enough for good flying. You can wait until the next day, if the butterfly isn't so anxious to leave, it damages its wings trying to get out. Let the butterfly's behavior be your guide.

Sherry

I'd say a chrysalis is as hard as it is going to get within 12 hours.

I definitely do not roll mine on purpose.

Most chrysalises can wiggle. People who are used to monarch chrysalises not moving get a surprise when they raise something else.

As for how long before your butterfly emerges, I referred to one of my favorite books, Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies. When these guys raised Comptons, the butterfly emerged after 16 days.

I think Sherry covered everything else.

Awesome! Thank you so much everyone!

I attach my pupas to a board with a touch of instant glue. Depending on the species they hang at different angles.

I love how much you all love caterpillars. Thanks for helping a fellow beginner cat raiser! I’ve been doing monarchs with my children for years and they LOVE IT. It’s such a beautiful thing. dancer, i know it’s been 5 years, but any questions you may have just ask!!

Hey Dancercr did it emerge? I read all the comments but no follow up 🙂