When I spotted the remains of the first monarch chrysalis, I felt lucky that I spotted it. I'm absolutely shocked that I spotted another one! While preparing the deck for staining, I went around to the front to remove some things growing onto the deck. If there was no breeze, I'd likely have never spotted it. I happened to be standing in the perfect spot as the movement from a gust of wind caught my eye. Among the blowing leaves, I saw something greyish white fluttering right at my eye level. It took me a second, but I recognized it as another abandoned monarch chrysalis.
Because it was almost 200 feet from where the caterpillars and the other chrysalis "skin" was found, I am wondering if there were other caterpillars that I missed. I did have those potted milkweeds near the deck for a while before planting them by the fence. I find it hard to imagine one fat caterpillar traveling that far for a place to pupate. Anyway, I now have more evidence showing that at least two monarchs metamorphosed in our yard habitat.
No comments:
Post a Comment