Sunday, February 4, 2018

Monarch Butterflies in O'ahu


When the girls first started at Ewa Beach Elementary in February 216, I would drive around our newly adopted neighborhood after dropping them off. One morning, I saw a cloud of butterflies swirling around this big flowering bush, the leaves of which had been decimated. And now every January and February we make a point to include a regular visits to this bush.





In early January on one of our visits Olivia asked if she could bring one of the caterpillars home.  Um, sure.
Super cute side note:
She named it "Deva" after our dear friend and our most memorable Monarch Adventure

The Very Hungry Caterpillar


After about 5 days in captivity, it started acting weird. haha
Jan 11 - 4:45 pm

OK. this next part was really weird. I'll share the science journal entry:  6:30a "hanging cat started moving + during about 5 minutes the black cat skin split and x emerged bright green  - no legs?" 
ew. 

Jan 12 9:30 am

After another day or so it solidified into this astoundingly beautiful jewel-like chrysalis.
Jan 13

And then Saturday morning January 20 - an emergence!
The previous days we had started seeing wing and body details through the thinning chrysalis 

As soon as I noticed it flapping: pumping & drying its wings. I told Olivia and we rushed it back to the bush we took it from, before it damaged its gorgeous wings in the fish tank. 







And Deva joined the rest of her "flock" around the Crown Flower Bush.
aka: Giant Milkweed, aka: Pua Kalaunu

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