hanging around

once they are ready to become a chrysalis, they crawl up to a safe place and hang motionless in 'j position' for about a day. they climb to the top of the castle and attach themselves with hooks that on are their back legs to a silk pad.

out in the wild it could be up to 40 feet away from the milkweed they were feeding on.

j position

after munching on milkweed for about 2 weeks a few of my caterpillars have climbed up to a safe place and have assumed 'j position'.

they attach themselves with silk and hold in this position for a day or two before starting the process of metamorphosis.