It started like this… a school teacher attached the twig to a rock, then attached two monarch butterfly chrysalises by their strong silk threads. She gave them to Danica to bring home and the next day the first one emerged.
Spectacular! A Vimeo movie follows.
Here’s a portrait of butterfly No 2. The wings take about 4 hours to dry and harden, after the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. These hours are critical, so I made sure they got more than enough time before opening the back door for them.
No. 2 seemed reluctant to leave home and clung to the outside of the screen door for about half an hour, looking in.
6 comments
Comments are closed.
Some monarchs reign for 60 years, some live only 6 weeks.
How lovely!
Doesn’t it make you want to go out and plant milkweed?
Yes, Joni. You’re right… milkweed is the only plant that the caterpillars eat, so the survival of Monarch butterflies depends on a generous supply. People SHOULD plant milkweed in their gardens.
Great pictures and video! Thanks for sharing. I will share these with Carson.