u/hlywa_jocy

Ugh I’m so thrilled to report that all but ONE of these babies had a safe flight after working so hard to earn their wings. After last year having trouble using this enclosure (my main one is out of commission right now… wind storms are vicious) I was incredibly worried about their ability to fully straighten their wings while drying. But as you can see, even the little guy who made his chrysalis on a leaf literally TOUCHING another chrysalis, was able to fully dry his wings with no issues! In total this spring, I’ve had about 20 releases! Most of them beautiful girlies who are off to help repopulate the monarch butterfly! It’s just so amazing to watch them fly away after literally watching them be laid as an egg by another beautiful momma monarch. Oh how I love Mother Nature 🥹🥰

Sorry for the shit-quality pictures… but can someone help me maybe identify what this little bulbous growth thing is on this little baby? He’s moving slower and kinda lethargic 😭. Is he just maybe hungry (I’ve had a milkweed crisis; shoutout to my neighbor for supplying the few leaves for the smallest babies. They can’t eat the stems just yet) or has something got to him (or her)? Should I separate it from the others? Should I leave it be? I’m just trying to have the best outcome I can this season. Last year was my first, and I had more casualties than I wanted (one is too many but once I learned the stat of how many actually survive in nature, I cried a little less… they all each still got rehab, a burial, and a ceremony), and I’m aiming for even less this year with my newfound knowledge of raising monarchs. Clearly, I didn’t learn my lesson from last year: Make sure you have enough DAMN MILKWEED BEFORE spring starts 🤦🏻‍♀️ On a better note, I did get my first girly of the season to hatch today! Her wings are drying and she’s getting ready for her first flight!