From caterpillar to butterfly, watch the metamorphosis of the marvelous monarch
Marvelous Monarchs: The butterflies are free - all you need is patience and milkweed
George Carlin once observed that "the caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity."
Not always, at least not here, Palm Beach Post photographer Greg Lovett salutes the remarkable transformation of the humble caterpillar into a marvelous monarch, a wondrous evolution you can see at home simply by buying some inexpensive milkweed plants and watching nature take its course.
Most monarchs live two to four weeks, but their total life cycles span six to eight weeks. The monarch grows inside an egg for three to four days, lives as a caterpillar for about two weeks, and then inside the chrysalis (pupa) for about 10 days before setting off on its short but beautiful life as an adult butterfly.
More stunning images by Greg Lovett: Blooming flowers and trees signal the start of summer in Palm Beach County
Metamorphosis of the monarch
Eggs are laid on milkweed plants by the adult female monarch butterfly
Monarch caterpillars eat the leaves of the milkweed host plant
The monarch caterpillar transforms into a chrysalis
The butterfly is ready to emerge from its chrysalis
The monarch butterfly emerges, starts the life cycle again
Greg Lovett is a photojournalist covering all of Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at glovett@pbpost.com You can follow his visual work on social media at @greglovettphotography on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post photographer captures the metamorphosis of the monarch
