Dispatch From the Butterfly Ranch

It isn't very often that you have an opportunity to witness something like this but this was a layup in my view.  The Law of Large Numbers and Averages so to speak.

We've witnessed large numbers of monarch butterflies this year - probably the best year in recent memory.  And as a consequence there are monarch caterpillars all over the place.  Seriously, we have had to be mindful of where we step on the porch, the walkways and the driveway.  Chrysalis are hanging from everything from a couple of cinderblocks at the entrance of the garage, bird spikes, porch furniture even the siding of the house.  That's right the siding.

Like this critter that decided to crawl along the underside edge of the siding adjacent to the front door.



 He stayed like this for most of a day and overnight followed by affixing himself to the edge of the siding and assuming this classic pose. 

Twenty-four hours passed and the caterpillar commenced to twitching and flinching.  I grabbed my phone and waited for the moment to arrive and recorded the transformation from larva to pupa.

Pretty cool inasmuch as the process occurs relatively quickly.

All the basic components for an adult butterfly are contained within that small green package. 

With some patience and a wee bit of luck we might be around to witness the monarch butterfly emerge.