Two Butterflies

We only had two butterflies this year. They came out of their chrysalis yesterday (a female) and today (a male). Here is our pretty female, letting her wings dry as she hung out on our lampshade.

It was a convenient place for the kids to enjoy looking at her.

All the school kids were gone when she came out, so only Natalie and the little boys and I got to enjoy her.

This pic below is how Daniel looks when he's about to say "BUG!" "A bug! A bug!" Yes, it's a pretty bug. "A Bug!"

Natalie kept the butterfly safe... and made sure she dropped her water out on the tissue.

We took her outside and she was still there when it was time for Natalie to go to the bus stop

...so we took her to Bus stop show and tell. this was the first time Natalie has held a butterfly on her finger!

She was pretty proud of herself!

And she thought it tickled!

We let the other kids have a turn too.

Pretty pretty butterfly. Here's a few more pictures of Natalie holding it. Waiting for the bus.

When the bus came, she called out to our nice bus driver "Hey Bus Driver! Look, a butterfly!" He said "That is such a pretty bird!" She laughed at that. Silly grown ups.

Here's the male from this morning. This boy was flapping his wings and took a couple of flight laps around the kitchen. Then I decided we best put him outside, I don't want him to land in the dirty dishwater or anything.

This one emerged after the kids were gone too, and it had flown away by the time they all got home.

Hence the many photos of Natalie with these two, they were our only ones this year, so we gotta get out monarch picture fix taken care of

Natalie was quick to hold it this morning. Good job Natalie, you are very brave.

Then she wanted it on her dress... and for a little peek into our life, if you hadn't noticed, yes, my daughter is still wearing the clothes she wore to school yesterday. Yea, she usually wears pjs (I think?) but that's by her preference and choice, I don't enforce pajamas or any wardrobe upon them, except asking if they have on clean underwear. And telling Wes to change his socks...but last night it appears she slept in her clothes. I usually clue into it when it's time for her to go to school, that's when I tell her to go wear a different outfit. Hence her time to change clothes is usually at lunch before school. And since these pics were at breakfast = same clothes.

The butterfly continued to flutter and climb up her tummy... She giggled and then laughed uncomfortably as it got close to her face when she said "Can you get it off now?!?!" Then outside he went. Go, fly, little male and female monarchs, may you find each other and multiply and replenish the earth! So, I guess we're calling it good with those 2, although I am still looking on milkweed now and then, cause last year I found one pretty late and it emerged at the end of September. That monarch lady was lucky that I have some good friends who willingly delivered her to Southern Utah. We could have/should have had three butterflies this year, but I had to euthanize one when he wasn't able to change into his chrysalis (pics 6-8). We've had sad endings like that before, but this was the first time it happened during the chrysalis change. We've had many caterpillar deaths - they'll be sick or writhing sometimes, or fall and get hurt, or two sad ones from last year - one drowned in the water. and one 2nd instar got eaten by a light green spider that I didn't see hiding on the milkweed. Rude. I was ticked at that spider and promptly executed him. And we had a chrysalis last year that turned black right away (last photo), so that one was a goner, don't know why sometimes but that's the circle of life I guess. But this was our first year of the silkpad and j-hook part not working. So we're getting to be real monarch farmer pros with all this experience. We should have another good supply of milkweed next year and we'll hope for a better monarch showing, go monarchs.