Well my friends… the most wonderful thing has happened. I was noodling around in the yard and by complete chance, came across….

A Monarch chrysalis!!! Don’t ask me how I saw it, because it’s tucked away, under the siding, and behind the corner trim, outside the catio on the corner of the house. Very well hidden. (Thank goodness it’s OUTSIDE the catio – Lemmy has been an absolute monster to the butterflies!!!)

And if that wasn’t enough… I looked a little lower…. and on the very last row siding…

A SECOND chrysalis!!!

I couldn’t believe my luck. And aren’t they just so pretty? Like little pods of jade with just a touch of gold leaf – nature is amazing. And if you look close, they are somewhat translucent, so you can just make out the shape of a creature inside.

I found them on August 25. Monarchs take 10-14 days to emerge, and since I’m not sure when these guys made their chrysalis, I’ve been checking them everyday.

Yesterday, I noticed the lower one is just starting to change colour.

So that means today or tomorrow, we should be able to witness the birth of a monarch!!!!