The Monarch butterfly like other butterflies first lives as a caterpiller. The Monarch is the "milkweed butterfly" because its catterpiller eats that plant. Milkweed is the only thing the monarch caterpiller can eat. If you want monarchs around your garden, tell your mom or dad to plant milkweed. You can purchase milkweed seed from garden shops.

Monarchs lay their eggs under milkweed leaves. The eggs hatch anywhere between three to twelve days. The larvae caterpiller will will eat the plant leaves for about two weeks and transform into a caterpillar. The caterpiller is about 2 inches long.













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After awhile, the caterpillars attach themselves head down to a convenient twig, they shed their outer skin and begin the transformation into a butterfly. The caterpillar completes the miraculous transformation into a beautiful adult butterfly in about two weeks.