PHOTOS OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES EMERGING

Detailed photos of two female Monarch butterflies emerging from their chrysalis.

This page shows detailed photos of two Monarch butterflies (both females) emerging from their chrysalis. Additional information on the Monarch butterfly emerging from its chrysalis can be found here.

(More general information on the Monarch butterfly can be found here.)

The first series of 14 photos shows a female Monarch butterfly emerging. There are 3 minutes between the first and the last photos.

Female Monarch just cracked its chrysalis envelope - © Denise Motard
Monarch just cracked its
chrysalis envelope
Female Monarch emerging, one leg visible - © Denise Motard
One leg visible
Female Monarch emerging, legs coming out - © Denise Motard
Legs coming out
Female Monarch emerging, legs unfolding - © Denise Motard
Legs unfolding
Female Monarch emerging, slips out of chrysalis - © Denise Motard
Starting to slip out of chrysalis
Female Monarch emerging, body is out of chrysalis now - © Denise Motard
Monarch body is out now
Monarch female emerging, has a large abdomen and tiny wings - © Denise Motard
Large abdomen, tiny wings
Monarch female emerging, clings to empty chrysalis envelope - © Denise Motard
Clinging to empty chrysalis envelope
Monarch female just emerged, side view - © Denise Motard
Just emerged Monarch side view
Just emerged Monarch is a female - © Denise Motard
This Monarch is a female
Just emerged Monarch female drying its wings - © Denise Motard
Monarch female drying its wings
Just emerged female Monarch, abdomen pumps hemolymph into wings - © Denise Motard
Abdomen pumps hemolymph
into wings
Just emerged female Monarch, wings have 2 orange tones - © Denise Motard
Wings have two orange tones
Just emerged Monarch, wings getting larger - © Denise Motard
Wings getting larger
The photos below (32 of them) are also of an emerging female Monarch. They were taken within an interval of 3 minutes, so there is much more detail between each of them.

Female Monarch emerging, chrysalis envelope cracks open - © Denise Motard
Chrysalis envelope cracks open
Female Monarch emerging, head comes first - © Denise Motard
Head comes first
 
Female Monarch emerging, legs soon to come out - © Denise Motard
Legs soon to come out

Female Monarch emerging, 1st leg visible - © Denise Motard
First leg visible
Female monarch emerging from its chrysalis - © Denise Motard
Female Monarch emerging
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen soon to descend - © Denise Motard
Addomen starts detaching
from chrysalis envelope
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen detaches from chrysalis - © Denise Motard
Abdomen detaches from chrysalis
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen starts slipping down - © Denise Motard
Abdomen starts slipping down
Monarch female emerging, abdomen weight pushes down - © Denise Motard
Abdomen weight pushes down
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen getting looser inside chrysalis envelope - © Denise Motard
Abdomen getting looser
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen will soon come out - © Denise Motard
Abdomen will soon come down
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen just came out - © Denise Motard
Abdomen just came out
Female Monarch emerging, holds tight to chrysalis envelope inside - © Denise Motard
Holding tight to inside
of chrysalis envelope
Female Monarch emerging, antennae and proboscis out, wings start unfolding - © Denise Motard
Antennae and proboscis out,
wings start unfolding
Emerging female Monarch clings to outside of chrysalis - © Denise Motard
Clinging to outside of chrysalis
Monarch emerging, abdominal dent indicates it's a female - © Denise Motard
Abdominal dent : it's a female
Female Monarch emerging, gets better grip to chrysalis envelope - © Denise Motard
Getting better grip to chrysalis
Female Monarch emerging, abdomen pumps hemolymph into wings - © Denise Motard
Abdomen pumps hemolymph
into wings
Female Monarch emerging, wings start to enlarge - © Denise Motard
Wings start to enlarge
Female Monarch emerging, back view - © Denise Motard
Emerging Monarch back view
Female Monarch emerging, proboscis unfurling - © Denise Motard
Proboscis unfurling
Monarch female emerging, wings length now at abdominal tip level - © Denise Motard
Wings length level with
abdominal tip
Female Monarch emerging, proboscis two branches visible - © Denise Motard
Proboscis two branches visible
Monarch female just emerged - © Denise Motard
Increasing wing size
Monarch female emerged, hemolymph pumped into wings - © Denise Motard
Abdomen keeps pumping
hemolymph into wings
Female Monarch just emerged about 2 minutes ago - © Denise Motard
Waiting for wings to enlarge
Emerged female Monarch, abdominal view - © Denise Motard
Abdominal view
Just emerged female Monarch, wings drying - © Denise Motard
The waiting game
Emerged Monarch female, feet claws hold tight to chrysalis envelope - © Denise Motard
Feet claws hold steady on
slippery chrysalis envelope
Just emerged female Monarch, looks healthy - © Denise Motard
Healthy-looking female Monarch
Female Monarch just emerged - there are 1/3 less females than males - © Denise Motard
There are less females than males
Just emerged Monarch female testing proboscis - © Denise Motard
Testing the proboscis