Our guests send us the most wonderful photos. I couldn't resist posting these, which -- taken together -- walk us through the miracle of the Monarch butterflies. These lovely winged wonders have left now, heading south towards Mexico, and we wish them safe flight and calm winds.
Michelle and Eric found "Mr. J-Guy" hanging about in the back fields. (They also provided the lovely shot of the butterfly sipping nectar from a butterfly bush! See? They DO attract butterflies!) This is where the transformation starts to get serious -- the caterpillars have been eating, shedding their skin, growing as fast as possible on those milkweeds, until all of a sudden, that's it... they hang themselves upside down, curl upwards in this typical "J" shape, and begin to weave their chrysalis.
Just before they are ready to emerge from their bejeweled green 'transformation station', you can see the butterfly within. That's because the chrysalis case is transparent. The gorgeous green you see in a new chrysalis is caterpillar. Interestingly, while you never see the yellow or black stripes of the caterpillar within the chrysalis, you can clearly see the orange and black of the butterfly's wings! It is extraordinary how tightly the wings are wrapped and folded to fit in such a small container! How small? Well, that's a nail in the wood 
just to the left of the chrysalis. Quinn took this shot. I'm jealous because I kept trying to get a good image of the butterfly within, and never really succeeded...Finally, without any warning or celebration, the chrysalis splits, and the butterfly crawls out. Hanging to the empty casing, the monarch waits for the sun to warm her, for her wings to gradually unfold, fill with 'butterfly blood', and harden enough that she can fly.
That can take some time, especially if the day is cool. This one was lucky to be on the old choke cherry tree, directly in a friendly sunbeam.
Finally, the butterfly sets sail, taking to the air to seek out flowers. But also touching down on dirt, to sip up some needed minerals. Quinn caught this one at the beach, sunbathing...
Thanks for providing us with such lovely images of such a miracle.
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