How long dose a caterpillar stay in a cocoon?
After eating their fill of milkweed, the caterpillar spins a shiny green and gold speckled chrysalis (cocoon). This is called the pupal stage. Attaching its back end to an object, the caterpillar molts again, revealing a different skin, which hardens into a pupa. It reorganizes its body inside the chrysalis. When ready, the developing butterfly positions its legs downward, splits the chrysalis, and comes out an adult monarch. This stage lasts 10 to 14 days.
