Monarch butterfly -- male

Monarch butterfly -- female

Monarch face -- taking nectar of milkweed plant

Monarch side -- on milkweed

Monarch on rose

Egg on milkweed leaf

Tiny newly-hatched larva with fully-grown caterpillar

Small monarch caterpillar devours a lot of milkweed

The monarch caterpillar feeds only on milkweed

Once fully grown, the caterpillar seeks a safe place to form a pupa

It attaches itself to the underside of a leaf (in this case a rose leaf) with strong silk and hangs in pre-pupa mode

The pupa (chrysalis) from which the adult butterfly will eventually emerge is a beautiful polished green with yellow bands and shiny gold spots like a gem. (Veins of the wing can be made out on the first one above.)