The white cabbageworm butterfly and the related orange sulphur butterflies also winter as a chrysalis. The viceroy and the checkerspot, on the other hand, survive as partly grown caterpillars. Only a few butterflies can make it through an Iowa winter in the adult stage. These include the fritillary, the mourningcloak, the painted lady and the red admiral. The most famous butterfly, the monarch, doesn't stay in Iowa for the winter at all.
Monarchs leave in the fall and migrate to central Mexico to spend the winter.
One is the hiding behavior seen in the fall. Insects that were active just a few short weeks ago didn't all die. Some went into hiding and are concealed under loose bark, leaf litter, rocks or debris. Others are a few to several inches deep in the soil. A more important preparation that takes place in the fall involves subtle changes in body chemistry.