My Caterpillar didn't finish forming its chrysalis...is it dead?

When caterpillars stop forming their chrysalides halfway through, the monarch has died. This is likely for 1 of 2 reasons:

1. If the caterpillar looks thin and there are white threads hanging from the caterpillar body, look for tachinid fly maggots or red pupae on the floor...the caterpillar was parasitized before you found it. 

2. If caterpillars have been exposed to insect growth regulator (pesticides), this prevents them from entering the next phase of the butterfly life cycle. In this case, the caterpillar has not finished forming the chrysalis and/or what it has formed is severely misshapen. 

GOOD NEWS: If the caterpillar skin is balled up a the top of the chrysalis, the chrysalis has been formed properly and there is nothing to worry about. 😊