The Journey of a Monarch, as seen through the eyes of Jackson and Max

Some friends of ours had a few purple crown flower plants in their yard, which is a kind of milkweed.  They ended up with many caterpillars of many sizes living on and eating up the plants.  There were so many they offered to share some with us.  

The caterpillars we brought home look like the one in the picture below; this is actually one of them!!  We brought three caterpillars home in a large sour cream container with a leaf in the bottom for them to munch on.  We kept them in the container overnight and the next day we were able to get a caterpillar garden house for them, as well as a purple crown flower plant of our own.  The caterpillars we brought home were pretty close to being fully grown.  It is amazing how small they start out!  

They eat and eat and eat.  Then they poop and poop and poop.  Frass is the special name for caterpillar poop.  

After about a month they are ready to make their chrysalis (not cocoon, which are made by moths).  This is actually the caterpillar shedding its skin, not making a casing around itself.  At first, it looks squishy, but magically changes to a hardened shell about an hour after the initial change.

This is what the butterfly garden actually looks like.  

The caterpillars built their chrysalis' right on the top plastic of the butterfly cage.   They start with a silk-like substance that secures them in place.  Their feet (I can't remember what they are called!) hold onto the silken piece. It is really neat.

The butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.  It's wings are quite a bit smaller than they will be.

This is what the chrysalis looks like shortly before the butterfly emerges.  Isn't it neat how you can see right through it, you can see the butterfly's wings? 

See how small the wings are compared to the body?  You can even see the silk spread out around the top of the chrysalis where it attaches.  After the butterfly is out, the chrysalis is kind of "crispy."

God is so cool.  Look at this amazing creature!!

Spread those wings and fly!!  

Just like this butterfly, we are all created with the possibility of flying, morphing into the person God has for us to be.  It has been fun watching these butterflies go through their stages.  But, I am even more excited to watch Jackson, Max, and Thomas go through their lives and become the men God has for them to be.