Ping Pong Hatched

New butterfly hatched today. Always a miracle. I love when the chrysalis turns black. You can see through it--the butterfly markings are clearly visible.


After hatching, this one fell to the bottom of our little "cage." It landed feet up, wriggling like crazy, trying to grab onto something so that it could hang and dry its wings. I had to quick run outside and get a stick. Held it ever so carefully by the flailing legs, let it grab on. Here's a photo of me holding the stick, trying to figure out how the heck to get the little guy back into the cage so it could hang properly. You can also see the empty chrysalis, now clear.


Success! The wings look perfect. Once they open, we will be able to tell if it's a girl or a boy butterfly. Hatching anew is very tiring. The butterfly is hanging now, motionless, and will do so for hours.

(I shot this photo through the netting. With flash, you can't even tell!)