I brought two chrysalis' inside as they were in a bad location, one normal green and one white. I had never seen a white chrysalis survive before, but thought I'd give it a try. On July 12th the green chrysalis hatched and I took the monarch outside and placed it on a milkweed plant where it dried it's wings and took off. I was thinking the white chrysalis simply didn't survive but decided to give it a couple of days. On the morning of July 14th a healthy monarch hatched out of the white chrysalis and I took it outside, where he flew away just a few minutes ago.

Tdogmom...when the Monarchs get to last instar they eat like there's no tomorrow...as if you didn't know! Around 7 or 8 PM I bring in a big handful of leaves and think it will hold them til morning. Luckily I wake up a couple times during the night so I find them just sitting on the sticks waiting for "more, please"...LOL. So I turn on the back porch lights and traipse out there with the flashlight, pick more leaves, wash them and put them in cleaned out container. Some nights I'm smarter or just in better "memory state" and keep a stalk in water in fridge so I don't have to make the night run to the garden but never seem to have enough for the big guys...and the little ones seem to zoom in milkweed consumption after 4th instar. If I had more than the 9 Monarchs I'd raise them differently with a potted plant so they'd have more room to roam and be in a more natural setting. Didn't want to take the chance with these 9 since they were all different sizes and worried about cannibalization so kept them segregated. Geez...sounds like I'm running a boot camp for delinquent Monarch cats...LOL.

Update on 3 of my chrysalises! 3 eclosed yesterday after approx 4 weeks - amazing experience and so beautiful! Sad news though that one fell from the spot it was holding onto (it was a little windy) right after eclosing. It was crawling in the soil so I put a stick down and it climbed up and I hung it from a nearby plant with a clothespin. The wings plumped up for awhile but never fully finished. I found it this morning dead. So very sad that it made it thru almost to the end to die. Butterfly raising, although so exciting, can be stressful. I understand why people raise them indoors and then release them!

Well, that one is gone and just the remains of the chrysalis are still there. But the second one has turned black this afternoon! Plus my neighbor texted me she has one on her flowers. Went to look at it and it looks like it is brownish. Maybe one of us will see one of them emerge! That would be awesome!