How long are they catapillers?

I am so bummed! Looked at milkweeds just now, one fat one was on a corn plant, moved it to a milkweed.
Then I noticed a wasp eating something, to my horror it was a badly mutilated monarch catapiller!
Dang it I thought nothing ate them, maybe why I saw four a couple days ago, now I found two

My son planted five different kinds of milk weed seeds this spring. He now has blooms on several of the plants. He saw his first monarch butterfly on them on Wednesday, 18 July 2018. He wasn’t able to get a good closeup picture and has found no eggs or caterpillars yet.

Here's some info Tactical.

Thanks! I found three catapillers, maybe only the one was killed, I chased another wasp away earlier today, sitting on corn stalk facing some milkweed

So as a butterfly they only live 6 weeks?

No the butterflies that are produced now overwinter in Mexico. There are 2 generations per year.

I see, that's what I thought, long ways to fly

Saw a good number of monarch butterflies in garden today visiting the purple cone flowers, and one laid one egg on a milkweed, killed 6 wasps
A male goldfinch landed on a catnip top, it was eating seeds one after the other, a monarch twice acted like it wanted to land on the same flower top. Goldfinch was like go away, this is my flower

Do catapillers make the crystalis on milk weeds, or do they travel to other plants?
I can't find any, one was killed by wasp, other three we're here, now I don't see any. The milkweeds are mostly surrounded by sweet corn

Still can't find my monarchs, but found three small swallowtail? They we're on the Dill plants, Look similar to monarch but different

Fantastic pics!!

Used to see tons of Monarchs and their caterpillars in the '70s - '90s. Same amount of Common Milkweed (Asclepsias syriaca) plants hereabouts. Just not as many butterflies.

Pullin' fer ya Tac!

I think I picked a couple milkweed leaves with eggs on them, same plant I found two newly hatched catapillers, one just got done eating the egg shell, other one has stripes already
They are so small I had to use reading glasses to see them

Tactical.20 >>>> I believe you are in business. I could not find any eggs yet on the milk weed at the ranch again today. I did find a larva which is green and about 4 inches long which is dragon moth I believe they call them I got it in the butterfly cage with branches and plenty of greens to eat. I hope it makes a papa and finally a moth.

Good luck.

Today so far I found two that had just ate the eggshell, saw two come out, they are right now eating the shells,only color is dark head, found three tiny ones with stripes, hope they do good indoors
Today and yesterday I saw one lay couple eggs
Took a few pictures

So what's best way to feed little catapillers? One person put stem of milkweed through aluminum foil to water.
I dropped dill in for the swallowtail catapillers

Watched two emerge from empty shell, then a few minutes later they turned around and started to eat the eggshell

I used milk weed and a few different branches from tree's and bushes. I read some place dill is something they eat also so I have dill in the cage also.

The caterpillar I have is turning green to a brown color so it must be transforming or dying I'm not sure.

Which one do you have, swallowtail?