Butterfly Gardening. Need help with a prob.

[The Backlash Cometh]

I have a butterfly garden and I think I just interfered with a caterpillar during its change to become a chrysalis and condemned it to an early demise. I just need to know for sure, because I wasn't aware that it was this easy to interfere with the process.

Basically, there were four caterpillars (Polydamas) in the process of changing. Three did within the last 48 hours. The actual process however, of shedding the skin and becoming a chrysalis takes about 6-8 minutes. This morning I saw the fourth getting into the familiar squinch position, and I would have left it alone, but there was a snail heading straight for it. I flicked off the snail and disturbed the branch the caterpillar was on, but just a few seconds worth of disturbance.

Six hours later I came by and found that the caterpillar had shriveled and it was covered in ants. I removed the ants and clipped the branch out that held the caterpillar to remove it to a controlled setting. I doubt it will live.

Anyway, I'm just wondering, is it that easy to interfere with the metamorphose process? I just wonder how we end up with any butterflies at all.

[bvar22]

1. I can't pretend to "KNOW" the answer, but

common sense tells me that minor disturbances to the branch should not be a problem.
They have certainly evolved to deal with environmental factors that include minor disturbances like the wind. Flicking a snail off the branch seems less disturbing than a minor gust of wind.