Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar Dilemma : Part 10 (Final)

Part 9 was going to be the final, but no, Part 10 is. Really. Today started with rain and I was wondering how the second Monarch Butterfly would cope. The sun soon arrived and I took the container outside onto the verandah. Number two was soon sunning itself in the autumn sun, opening and closing it's wings. About noon, number three started coming out of the chrysalis.

By the time #3 was starting to take shape, #2 departed and after flying around briefly, settled on the guttering. It knew it needed the warmth of the heat reflected off the metal. No one taught it this or any of the other amazing things it will do in its life. How did that untaught wisdom come to be inside its pinhead sized brain?

#2 sunning itself as #3 starts to come out

#3 continues its acrobatics, while keeping tight grip on the chrysalis shell

#3 is fully out but the wings are concertinaed

#3 is taking shape, while #2 decides its time to move on

#2 has gone, leaving #3 to do its thing. So where did #2 fly off to?

After a brief reconnaissance, just above on the gutting, was deemed suitable

PS. On 19.05.16 NZT #4 and #5 emerged from their chrysalises at around 10am, a matter of minutes apart. Then during that same afternoon #6 burst forth.

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