We Have Two Chrysalises!

Today one of my little cats got loose from the butterfly house. I don't know how, but he was walking on top of it and must have slipped thru the screen somehow. I put him back and no sooner did he start spinning a little web of silk to attach himself to. It was time to make his chrysalis. In the picture below, you can see the caterpillar attached to a little button of silk that he spun.

He then hangs himself in a "J" to prepare himself for the next part of his journey. When his tentacles go limp as in the above picture , his skin splits and he stars to spin the chrysalis molting for the last time. 

You can see the web of silk on the glass in the picture above.

Here is a sped up clip of one of my caterpillars spinning and molting his skin last year. 

Below is an up close picture of the "cremaster" which is the black little stalk that connects the chrysalis to the spun silk pad. It acts like velcro to keep the chrysalis attached.

Two spun their chrysalises today....one on the glass top and one on the lattice. 

 Three cats are left 

getting big and fat and roaming around together,

Climbing and checking out the lattice, possibly thinking about spinning the silk button there.

This one liked the lattice and made itself at home.

There are still 9 in the nursery container all just having popped out of their shell into little tiny caterpillars.  When the frass (poop) appears, you know they are no longer eggs.