I knew this monarch chrysalis was there hanging from a branch of my little chilopsis tree in the parkway. In fact I was a bit worried about it since people brush by that area on the way in or out of their parked vehicles. So I went out to check on it yesterday while the morning was still misty, about 9 am. Sure enough the chrysalis had turned dark, indicating emergence of the adult monarch was imminent. On closer inspection I saw a split in the lower (what I take to be) ventral portion.
It would have been nice I suppose, to set up a chair on the sidewalk and watch the butterfly unfurl. I did come out
and have a look every so often but still missed the big/little event. Just before 1:00pm I found 
the butterfly hanging from the empty, transparent shell. It was a pleasant afternoon, mid-seventies, mostly clear; typical November day in these parts.The last photo may or may not be the same butterfly, enjoying nectar from the tagetes lemonii.
1 comment:
Breathtaking! I didn't know that the chrysalis turned dark before the hatching- don't they start out as having gold and turquoise dots down one side? I remember being quite fascinated by that when I found one once.
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