monarch update

We keep finding more caterpillars, more cocoons, and more empty cocoons. They're everywhere. Monday afternoon we checked a cocoon that fell into a bush and saw that it had emptied since we last checked. Then I noticed Haile taking unusual interest in something on the grass. There I found a fresh, new monarch, looking like it was still slightly moist from the cocoon.
I suspect that this one had emerged from the cocoon in the bush sometime during the last few hours. It could not fly, and I only hope that was because it was still adjusting or drying out, not because Haile found it before we did. Also, it's emergence may have been less than smooth, because the cocoon was resting in a tangle of twigs instead of dangling freely like the others.

I've never been so close to a butterfly and gotten such a good look. It was a beautiful sight. The oranges were so bright, the black of its body so dark and it's underside was covered in distinct white spots. It slowly opened and closed its wings as we watched.