Last Saturday we went tromping through field and forest, in search of a Monarch caterpillar. When we started out, Keith and I thought it would be a piece of cake. Find a milkweed plant, snatch up a caterpillar and be on our way.....WRONG!! You can find a milkweed plant, but that doesn't mean there will be a caterpillar on it. We had finally given up after 3 hours and decided to go home and on our drive home we saw some milkweed along the side of the road. In answer to Kristyn's prayers, there was not one but 3 caterpillars on the plant. She was beyond excited!
We shared 2 with our pastor's family who had been searching for one and kept one for ourselves which the kids quickly named "George" (Kristyn calls him Brother George).
We had to go get him 2 milkweed leaves every day for him to eat. The most interesting thing is, you can actually HEAR him chomping on the leaf! What a sound!
I don't need to tell you that the kids have enjoyed watching George very much.
Tuesday about 6pm, or so, George decided to hang up-side-down. He made a little sticky place and then just flipped over. He would wiggle all around and I was afraid he would drop off the glass, but he didn't. We have a magazine that had an article about monarchs and it said they would hang like this for about 24 hours before forming the chrysalis.
So yesterday, we watched and watch and George wiggled and wiggled, but nothing ever happened. Well, I went into the other room and when I walked back by George a few minutes later, this is what I saw. The article said when they change from caterpillar to chrysalis, it will only last about 60 seconds. WOW!! I was amazed. He had shed his skin and pushed all of his legs off and they were laying in the bottom of the jar. The outer layer was just starting to wrap up to the top of the chrysalis, so we got to watch that part.
Kristyn thought he looked funny because even wrapped tight in that chrysalis, he was still wiggling all around.
By the time we went to bed last night, he was all wrapped up "snug as a bug in a rug".
This is what he looked like this morning. There are tiny gold dots and they absolutely shine. I have never seen anything like it before! Beautiful!!
So this is how George will be for 2 weeks and then he will pop out into a butterfly. Stay tuned to hear and see the rest of the story.
Have a fun and safe weekend!!!
Payton!
Owen and Zack :)
Owen and Grandpa
Some of the kids enjoying the pool.
Kaylee and Owen
Two-peas-in-a-pod, Karissa and Kristyn
Now we're back home and Kristyn and Daddy's back to school and this little man's feeling quite lonely. He was playing in the garden when I took this picture.
Yesterday was the first day I braided Megan's hair. I thought they were cute!
As an update on George, he is still "sleeping" as Owen says. He is turning a duller green and you can see the pattern of the wings through the cocoon. Wednesday will be 2 weeks, so hopefully he will decide to come out then. :)
