Newly emerged Monarch butterfly, fluffing its wings. Zoom in. It emerged yesterday. I imagine that with the cold nights, it is emerging slowly. A mature butterfly would never stay in one place for hours like this one has been. I read that they pump air into their wings, so that could be what this one is doing.
Tag Archives: milkweed
5th Chrysalis
I was starting out to carefully trim this purple salvia. I wondered if their might be any chrysalides in it as it is near the milkweeds.
Luckily I spotted this one before I trimmed above it.
This is the 5th concurrent chrysalis in my garden right now. There are at least six more caterpillars noshing. Last year this went on until January. But it started later because the milkweeds were less mature. No trimming near rude milkweeds until February.
Six Monarch Caterpillars on One Milkweed – in Five Photos
Voracious Milkweed Leaf Eaters
They will strip the Milkweed plant bare off leaves and flowers. But the Milkweed will sprout more branches with leaves and often with flowers.
Monarch Feeding on Milkweed
Creekside 