Caterpillar Visualization


You might not be able to remember when you were first hatched 3 weeks ago, little caterpillar, so I'll tell you just how it was while you rest in your chrysalis. Several months ago, your mother monarch butterfly laid your tiny egg on a milkweed lead. It was pale green and shiny, and shaped like a little cone. It only took you about 4 days to chew through the soft eggshell and peep out. You were such a cute baby caterpillar, with pretty yellow, black and white stripes and lots of legs. You had your regular six insect legs and a few extra baby legs with little hooks on the, to help you climb up the plant. You even had 2 pairs of protective black threadlike horns at the front and back of your body that could help keep away flies that wanted to lay their eggs on your back.

You had such an appetite! You just ate leaves all day long, and grew and grew. Several times you outgrew your skin, and had to shed it for a new bigger one underneath. People call this molting. One day when you were as big as monarch caterpillars need to grow, or about 2 inches long, you spun a little silken mat on a big milkweed leaf. You entangled your hooked feet in this mat, let go with your forefeet and hung downward, letting the front end of your body curl up. You looked just like a "J". You stayed this way for several hours while the juices in your body all ran downwards and swelled your head up. Suddenly your skin began to split open right along the middle of your back, and started to shrink upwards. I don't think this hurt at all, but you wiggled to help your skin move into its new place. The new softer skin that was underneath begins to harden into a beautiful green covering with shiny golden spots all over it. That's where you are now, inside this lovely, safe green chrysalis, just resting. For two weeks you rest. Do you feel anything? Can you tell that it is a beautiful sunny, warm day at the wetlands? Did you know when it was raining the other day? Could you feel the wind blowing so hard, or know when a deer brushed by you in the full moon? How does it feel to be swinging gently in your own tiny hammock?

Something feels different about your body now. While you were resting, you changed a lot. In fact, I can even see you through your chrysalis now because it has become a little bit see-through. I think I see some wings folded up in there. Wait a minute…maybe you do feel that sunshine. I think the sun might be making something happen here. Your covering is breaking apart over your head! You reach out a long thin leg and take hold of your empty skin and the support that attaches it to the lead and pull yourself out. You're hanging downward. Your tummy looks big, and your wings are all crumpled up and wrinkly. Now it looks like some body juices are pumping into your hind wings, and they are stretching out beautifully, orange and black. Now your front wings are filling up and your tummy is skinnier. You are only able to walk a few steps now to climb up onto the top of the lead to rest while your body and wings harden, for about an hour. You are so new and shiny all over, and so delicate and beautiful. Soon you will float off the lead, all grown up and ready for the world of butterflies. Maybe you will be the one to fly thousands of miles to Mexico and back next spring. Good luck, beautiful friend.

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Last modified 11/15/06 12:55 PM by menichol (history)
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