FIRST BUTTERFLIES OF 2007

To view these movies you'll need QuickTime 7.  If you don't have it already, you can download it here -- Free!

(This video will start playing automatically after a brief download.)

Questions or problems with this download, click HERE.

Last Sunday (3-19-07) while I was walking through our garage I noticed that several Black Swallowtail Butterflies had emerged from their chrysalises in this container.  The chrysalises were the ones that hadn't opened last year.  We put them in a pot in the garage because the temperature is consistent with the outside temperature, so the butterflies know when they should come out.  The pot had sticks coming out of the dirt so the butterflies had something to climb up on to let their wings fill up.  Here's a picture of the chrysalises in the pot before the butterflies emerged.











To help them warm up, I moved the container to a sunny place that was protected from the wind.  Since there weren't many flowers blooming at the time, we put slices of banana and a dish with nectar in the pot.  When they looked strong enough to fly, we unzipped the top and set them free.  Five adults flew out.  There are still about six chrysalises left in the pot.