Monarchs at Maison Nord

Have you ever seen a monarch caterpillar? The end of summer is prime time to find these beautiful creatures, and we have plenty of milkweed to feed them!

Three monarch caterpillars on milkweed.

Monarch Life Cycle

• Eggs: Tiny, off-white or yellow eggs, commonly laid on the underside of milkweed leaves

• Larva: The caterpillars that you see in the above photo! They start as tiny caterpillars and grow as they feed on milkweed. They develop distinct white, yellow, and black bands.

• Chrysalis: Full sized caterpillars will hang upside down in a "J" shape and shed their skin to create a chrysalis that is green with a gold band. The chrysalis then turns transparent before the butterfly emerges.

• Butterfly: The beautiful orange and black butterfly emerges from the now transparent chrysalis.

You can see all of the stages of the monarch's life cycle at Maison Nord! This is an exciting time at the garden, and we'd love for you to see it. Schedule a visit!