It's here!

The butterfly emerges from the chrysalis upside down.

The soft wings unfold as the butterfly emerges.

The butterfly clings to its transparent chrysalis as the wings dry. * Double click on the photos to enlarge them. *

July 1st at 8:28 AM

Our first monarch will come out of the dark chrysalis.

Ready for the big event.

The Chrysalis' are now covered pending the arrival of our first Monarch of the season. The chrysalis darkened throughout the evening and is now almost transparent. The butterfly should emerge mid morning. Hopefully the children will be home in time to see it.

Lots of Chrysalis

J ust Beautiful

Chewy & Beatrice

These monarch caterpillars are in their fifth instar, which means they are almost full grown. I expect them to head to the top of the jar soon and begin the process of forming a chrysalis.

Growing..

How do I get those eggs to hatch?

Lay the leaves in a pan on a wet paper towel.

Do you see the two white dots on the closest leaf? Those are eggs.

Put a damp paper towel over the eggs.

Check daily and mist with water to keep moist. When the egg turns dark or is clear with a dark spot, put the leaf in a jar with a small damp piece of paper towel.

This egg will hatch within a few hours. The new larvae will then eat it's egg for nourishment.

What does milkweed look like?

I found a website with great pictures of common milkweed. Click HERE to learn more about milkweed and the animals that can't live without it.

We have our 1st larvae!

Took all morning to hatch. She is awfully small but will double in size in a day. She is right above her Creator's name on the nickel - God.

minutes out of the egg

Is that an egg on your milkweed?

At last!

Crazy for monarchs?

We are! Here is a great website with a lot of information. Click on the title below:

Journey North: Monarch Butterfly Migration

Click here to see their video of a monarch coming out of its chrysalis.

How does that little guy escape his shell?

Watch this monarch larvae in action, thanks to the great photographers on the Journey North website. Click here.