This stunning coin is the third in the Royal Canadian Mint’s popular series that depicts the architects of Canada’s natural world — including the Monarch caterpillar, which encases itself in a chrysalis before emerging as a beautiful butterfly.

This familiar little creature inches around in bright yellow, black and white stripes until it turns into the widely-recognized Monarch butterfly. The Monarch sports a distinct orange and black pattern, and is the most widespread butterfly in North America. The little caterpillar is considered an architect because of the intricate cocoon it spins for itself in its chrysalis stage: after spinning a silk pad on a twig or leaf, it will hang from it by its last legs in a ‘J’ shape. This phase leads to hormonal changes, and eventually, the metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly.

This coin is a striking addition to any insect-, Canadiana- or nature-themed collection, or those featuring colour and photo-image designs.

Designed by Canadian artist Trevor Tennant, your coin features a beautifully detailed side profile of a Monarch caterpillar. Selective colour application showcases the caterpillar's bright yellow, black and white stripes as it crawls along a bright green milkweed leaf – a plant that plays an integral part in the Monarch's early life cycles. A large chrysalis is engraved in the background as a reminder of the Monarch's next stage, at which time it will enclose itself during its metamorphosis into one of Canada's most recognizable butterflies.