Birth of a butterfly... ...I grow herbs and such in pots outside along with a flower bed in front of my house. Awhile ago my parsley was host to about five very fat green caterpillars.
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One of them crawled up on the siding and promptly became a chrysalis.
I'd been watching it. This morning I came outside, early, and noticed the casing was empty. For a moment I was sad-then I noticed, in the grass beneath, a very large, very brand new black swallowtail butterfly. It was slowly flapping its wings, apparently getting used to the fact it HAD wings.
I went back in for a time, and came back out. The butterfly was still there. I reached down my hand, it crawled onto it, and allowed me to lift it up and have a look.
But only briefly. Suddenly, the butterfly took off, circled me quickly, and justlikethat, disappeared.