MARCH/APRIL 2019 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 109
from predators such as lizards,
wasps, ants and ladybugs. It
takes about a week for monarch
eggs to hatch into caterpillars.
They eat voraciously as they
shed their skins and develop
the monarchs’ jade green
pupas with gold bands. When
the butterflies emerge in about
seven days, Wendy releases
them into the wild.
Flocks of monarchs frolicked
in Wendy’s yard under her
fruit trees until Hurricane
Irma eliminated her monarch
population. Three weeks after
Irma, the first butterfly finally
returned. She laid eggs, which
hatched into caterpillars and
eventually became butterflies,
bringing back the population.
Wendy encourages others to
plant milkweed and nectar
flowers to help save the monarch,
which is being considered for the
list of endangered species by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Wendy Risk is an
award-winning teacher and writer.
For more butterfly information, visit
monarchwatch.org.
This caterpillar will
ultimately become a
butterfly after going into
its jade green pupa stage.
When a butterfly
emerges from a pupa,
its wings will be wet,
and it may take 3 to 4
hours for them to dry
before it can fly away.
The monarch butterfly
is one of nature’s most
beautiful creations.
Wendy Risk