Dozens of monarchs

Today we released 20 monarch butterflies that emerged from their chrysalises.

The season started off seemingly slow. We weren’t finding caterpillars like we had at the same time last year. I guess they just got a late start, because eventually they started rolling in.

Altogether, we’ve probably released 50 or more butterflies so far this year.

Video: Meet Muncher, our baby Monarch caterpillar

A monarch butterfly sits on one of our milkweed plants. Photo by Jadzia.
A monarch butterfly sits on one of our milkweed plants. Photo by Jadzia.

(The following story and video are by Yoli)

Our milkweeds have attracted a lot of butterflies. It’s given a lot of joy to my kids, especially Jadzia. But a few days ago she found a dead Monarch butterfly. She was devastated. I had never performed a butterfly funeral or prayed for them, but it comforted my daughter’s tender heart.

Enter Muncher. Wednesday morning, Jadzia found a Monarch caterpillar. She had been looking forward to finding some. We looked for more caterpillars, or perhaps eggs, but found only this one. She named it Muncher.

Continue reading “Video: Meet Muncher, our baby Monarch caterpillar”