The chysalides are hatching, on average of about 8-12 a day. The process is amazing and quick; if you are watching for 20 minutes and leave the room for a second it can happen while you are gone. I was bound and determined to catch one on video, and finally I was successful, although I missed the very beginning.
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| A chrysalis about to hatch. It becomes very clear, then a little opaque, just before it comes out. |
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| We "lost" a few caterpillars and "found" them under the kitchen stool. It's funny how they all went to the same place. |
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| Matthew is marking all the butterflies with our phone number (smudged here for privacy) so that when found someone can call us and let us know how far it flew. This is an approved method of marking (with a very fine sharpie) and holding according to his internet research. Each butterfly gets a number, and is recorded on a data sheet with date hatched and date released. Mary Alice is also giving each one a name after a king or queen, based upon gender, which she can somehow tell..... |
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| All the butterflies that hatched yesterday and were released last night. |
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| This is Queen Elizabeth in our garden. |
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