Lovely. Thanks!

Thank you.

Male Monarch butterflies will have a spot on the long vein on the bottom segment of the wing. Females do not have this spot. :)

Congrats - you'll need more milkweed

:)

Looks like a boy... Pretty sure I can see the "smudge" of the scent gland on the wing. You'll be sure when you see the wings open, but if you know what you're looking for it's equally obvious when the wings are closed as well. Congrats! Chaos is beautiful!!

"All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days...nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us Begin." John F. Kennedy

Monarchs will soon be on their annual migration to Mexico, that usually happens in early October. Let these go, so they can join their friends on the migration! If your lucky, you may see lots and lots of monarchs during the day or two they pass through your area.

It is so delightful, amid all the political bruhaha and nastiness, to see and hear about a small, natural, beautiful event that will undoubtedly delight and educate a classroom full of children (and a number of adults as well). Thank you for sharing this fun, non-political event with all of us.

Butterflies' astounding tale revealed in 3-D movie

New film captures insects' journeys over hundreds of miles

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49219062/ns/technology_and_science-science

Butterflies signal change, metamorphosis, balance, harmony, grace, peace, beauty and spirituality. They are a good sign.

Congrats on a healthy birth! However, in case anyone was wondering, adult butterflies do not belong in a cage - only the caterpillars! I'm assuming the teacher will release them as soon as their wings are dry. Otherwise, they will just damage their wings trying to escape. Right now I have a few cages with Swallowtails chrysalises (many of which I expect will overwinter and emerge in the spring). Once they emerge, I would only keep them overnight if the weather was bad. The best feeling in the world is to release them on a sunny day and witness their first flight! It is a joy to watch them soar and glide - you can almost feel their happiness! So hopefully the "temporary digs" will be just that. Raising caterpillars is a lot of fun; most of them are very easy and feeding them in cages protects them from all sorts of predators.

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