Little Things...

...Thursday

I tried everything within my power to try and get the last Monarch to emerge on my birthday-but he wasn't having any of it...

i-phone

...As a firm believer of "things happen for a reason"~ what could have been a dismal ending for this little guy ended up being "go out with a bang" kind of story. 

The kind of ending I'd rather witness & be present for than a self proclaimed birthday present and miss it kind of ending.

I got home from work Friday literally just in time to grab my phone & big girl camera after I took the silk plant I attached the chrysalis to out in the sun. ( that story here )
There is a specific way the chrysalis splits for a butterfly to emerge. It started out ok from the photo above. The butterfly pushes that front part out with its legs, grabs hold of something for dear life then the abdomen and wings follow.

 This all should happen in a blink of an eye. 

So, his front part came out and as the back of the chrysalis was splitting, his wings were stuck to the shell & his abdomen wasn't pushing through. It was a frantic moment for him trying to grab a hold of something and me crying out for my husband to grab a pair of tweezers. As I was waiting for those tweezers, I nervously but purposefully gently peeled the shell off his wings with my thumb nails. And just like that, it was over, he was out and I moved him to a sunny spot on a real tree so he could finish filling out.

As the sun set and the warmth of sun fading, I decided to bring him in for the night. I placed him on an orchid and set them both in a quiet part of the house until the sun came out the next afternoon. 

We hung out for a long time...

... I had a hard time letting this one go.

He seemed to comfortable and trusting of me handling him.

But the time had come. I placed him on a branch to finish drying out his wings...

...and I simply walked away.

Ok-I peeked through my kitchen window once or twice...ok...3 times. The forth time he wasn't there.

Happy (Monarch) snapping!

xo

Kelly 

Sharing with Kim today over at

littlebylittle