Birthing butterflies.

MAMAMAMAMAMAMMAMAMAMAMAMMAMAMAMAMA!!!!
I have a butterfly!

It started with one. Now we have five, and we're still counting. The butterfly's escape from the cocoon happens in the blink of an eye and we haven't yet caught it. The butterflies are mature and beautiful almost immediately. The only proof of their newborn-ness is the meconium stains throughout the pavilion. It looks like blood, and was a wee bit concerning to the gal. But, the fascination of watching them rapidly flap their wings after birth overshadows all the gore.



We are feeding the butterflies sugar water on oranges and fresh flowers. We plan to keep them in their home for about 10 days, so that we can have Nana with us when we release them (being that it was her gift and all). We hope that they'll lay eggs in the pavilion and we'll get to start the cycle over.