What is a cocoon? Do both butterflies and moths make them?
Moths, with some exceptions, make cocoons. A moth larva spins silk from modified salivary glands, forming a cocoon around itself. Inside, the larva changes into a pupa. A moth may incorporate a leaf or twigs in creating a cocoon. Most butterflies have a naked pupa, no fuzz around it, so it isn’t a cocoon. It’s called a chrysalis. The chrysalis of each butterfly species has a particular shape and coloration. Some look like twigs or dead leaves, some like jeweled ornaments. The monarch’s chrysalis is an elegant pale green, dotted with gold.
