Date: 05/06/2018

Number: 3

At around 2:30pm I saw a faded-winged monarch flying past outside from my kitchen window, so I decided to take a look around. It was 84 degrees F, sunny, lightly breezy, with 39% humidity. Well ... I couldn't find the faded monarch, but I did find something wonderful ~ a newborn! He was behind our barn fluttering brightly around in a shady area with trees and grapevines. After that brief fluttering (which is what caught my attention), he mostly just rested on leaves with his wings folded ~ now and then opening them wide. I watched him for about 30 minutes and left him still resting as newborns do, getting their energy up to take flight. I checked later and he was gone. In the early evening a faded-winged male monarch nectared on our potted butterfly bush. So interesting to have the older generation and the new together for this very brief time.

Some of monarch eggs and caterpillars I have collected to raise indoors have reached the chrysalis stage, but none have yet to be born as of today (one due tomorrow) ~ so these any newborns I have seen have all been wild-born.

This is a photo of the newborn monarch flexing his beautiful new wings!

Montgomery, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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