I always love watching for the first signs of the chrysalis process. Having made their silken button and then turning to lodge their end feet into it, the caterpillar slowly and carefully leans back and downwards to hang into a "J". The next clues are its movement. The body begins to quiver and, after some minutes, I notice the feelers collapsing. The quivering continues and, after about 30 minutes, the outer skin splits behind the head and the caterpillar twists and turns until the skin has dropped away and there's the chrysalis. Just magic.
Click on each picture to see a larger view..........