You may use the computer in our classroom or your computer at home. There will be books available in our classroom or you may take out books from the school or town library. The caterpillar will eat the milkweed leaf after it has hatched. The monarch caterpillar hatches from the tiny egg. The caterpillars eat almost constantly and grow very quickly.
Monarch caterpillars eat the leaves of the milkweed plant.
When the caterpillar is finished growing, it will stop eating and find a safe spot to turn into a chrysalis or pupa. The caterpillar builds a case called a chrysalis. This is sometimes called the pupa stage. It does not eat while it is in the chrysalis. It will remain in the chrysalis for 10 to 12 days.