How long does it take for a caterpillar to turn into a moth

Table of Contents Show

How long does it take for a cocoon to turn into a moth?
How does a caterpillar turn into a moth?
What's the life cycle of a moth?
How long does it take a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly?

Monarchs-And-Milkweed.comMonarch
Life Cycle

Our Facebook page, Rose Franklin's Perennials, is used to create posts that might be of interest to our visitors at ButterflyBushes.com and/or at Monarchs-And-Milkweed.com. During the winter, we create a lot of posts that include photos of butterflies. During the summer, when we are busy shipping orders, we only sporadically post on Facebook. When we do, it's generally to advertise that Monarch eggs and/or caterpillars are available for shipping. When we have more inventory than we do orders, we announce flash sales on Facebook too.

The Monarch Life Cycle (technically called metamorphosis) is the series of developmental stages that insects go through to become adults. Butterflies and moths have four stages of life: egg, larva (the caterpillar stage), pupa (the chrysalis phase in a butterfly's development), and adult. It takes a Monarch butterfly just 28 to 32 days to complete its life cycle. Light, temperature, and humidity all play an important role in determining how long it will take a Monarch to complete its life cycle. Warmer temperatures (so long as it's not too warm), higher humidity (so long as it's not too humid), and extra light (so long as it's not too much light) generally aid in faster development.
Developing Monarchs usually prefer a temp of 70 to 80 degrees, humidity of 60% to 70%, and normal summer daylight/night patterns.

A monarch caterpillar molts (sheds its skin) five times during the larval stage. Similar to the way a snake sheds its skin when its body has outgrown the skin, a caterpillar does the same. A new, larger skin is always waiting under the one that is shed. The period of time between molting is called the instar.

In just 9 to 14 days the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is complete. Through the chrysalis, the day before the adult emerges, you can see the orange and black wings of the Monarch butterfly inside.

Here's the answer to a few frequently asked questions:

Once a Monarch emerges from its pupa (chrysalis), how long does it live?

Monarchs that emerge from their pupae between spring and late August only live about three weeks. Their primary purpose is to reproduce. A female Monarch can lay more than 300 eggs in the couple of weeks she is alive, but most of those eggs (or the caterpillars that hatch) will be devoured by predators. More will become infected with disease and perish. Only about 2% of the eggs laid will survive long enough to produce adults.

Monarchs that emerge from their pupae from late August through early October have immature reproductive organs and are not capable of reproducing. These Monarchs will nectar, store energy in the form of fat, and then head for the mountains of central Mexico, where they will over-winter. The temperature is generally 40 to 50 degrees in these mountains, so the Monarchs are at rest most of the time as it is too cold for them to fly.

By late February, when milkweeds are beginning to grow in Texas, and the fir forests of Mexico are warming up for spring, the Monarchs will mate and the females will fly to Texas, where they will lay eggs and then expire. It will be their offspring that continue the journey northward.

How can I distinguish between a male and a female Monarch?

It's actually quite easy to distinguish between the two sexes in a Monarch. The male has two black-colored oval markings on his hind wing which the female does not have (the photo to the left points to the ovals). These are actually scent patches and the scent patches release pheromones which will aid female Monarchs in locating him. Remember, the adults only live about 3 weeks and must produce offspring so the survival of the species won't be threatened.

If you look at the abdomens of Monarchs, you'll see a difference too. The male has claspers at the tip of his abdomen so he can hold on to the female during mating. The female has an opening (like a slit) where the male will attach and insert sperm.

Is it OK to hold a Monarch? Won't they then be unable to fly?

A lot of people where taught in school that you should never, ever touch a butterfly. Doing so could make it unable to fly, or the butterfly might die if you held it. This is not true.

Monarchs, and other butterflies too, have wings that are coated with tiny scales. Under a microscope, these scales resemble fish scales. They overlap like shingles on a roof. In touching a butterfly, you will remove some of their scales, but they will still be able to fly and they certainly will not die

Here's a photo of how you should hold a butterfly so you won't hurt it..

Even in nature, Monarchs loose some of their scales, lots of them, just by rubbing against plants and other objects that their wings come in contact with.

But butterflies are not toys and should not be handled and played with like they are toys.

Rose Franklin's Perennials
107 Butterfly Lane Spring Mills, PA 16875

(814) 422-8968 Email: During our busy shipping season (May 1 thru September 30), please email, don't call.

How long does it take for a cocoon to turn into a moth?

They will stay and transform over time into a butterfly or a moth. Most butterflies and moths stay inside of their chrysalis or cocoon for between five to 21 days.

How does a caterpillar turn into a moth?

One day, the caterpillar stops eating, hangs upside down from a twig or leaf and spins itself a silky cocoon or molts into a shiny chrysalis. Within its protective casing, the caterpillar radically transforms its body, eventually emerging as a butterfly or moth.

What's the life cycle of a moth?

There are four stages of the moth life cycle: eggs, larvae, pupa/cocoon, and adult. Each stage represents a significant step in a moth's lifespan. Knowing the life of a moth is important when trying to handle an infestation, too.

How long does it take a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly?

Many species will spend less than a week undergoing metamorphosis, but most will emerge as a butterfly within about three weeks. Some butterflies may wait as long as three years to leave chrysalis, but this has less to do with the rigors of the metamorphosis and more to do with the environment around them.