Saturday, July 19, 2025

The Monarchs Have a Baby! A Garden Chat




Baby insect being pushed in a stroller


Passerby: "Oh, it is ugly."


Mother: Larva is her name.


Passerby: Oh, thank goodness, not complete.


Mother: Grubs are not the only ones who are immature.


Passerby: So many legs and feet and no shoes, poor thing.


Mother: Outgrows and sheds shoes faster than I can tie them.


A week later: Dad is pushing the stroller.


Passerby: Cute pupa, Papa.


Dad: Fussy, won't eat anything.


Passerby: Inactive, just lying there in its chrysalis.


Dad and Mom: Pubescent: Undergoing significant body changes. Need lots of rest.


Passerby: Yuck, it all turned into mush.


Parents: Hormones.


Passerby: Will it ever come out of its shell?


Parents: She'd better come out of her shell. We invested a fortune in milkweed.


Passerby: Congratulations, it's ahh. Well, it's wrinkly.


Passerby: Did you notice its wings are crumpled?


Doc: No worries.


Parents: Come on, expand your wings, you can do it.


Passerby: If we fan it, the wings will dry sooner.


Parents: Hoorah. She is ready for her first flight.


Passerby: BEAUTIFUL, what is her name?


Parents: Monarch. We had thought about Queen but weren't sure what we were having, a boy or a girl.


Weeks Later: Mom, Dad, I met a guy. Leaving your grandchildren (eggs) on a leaf. Heading to Mexico.

Love You.


PS: Steer my kids away from neonicotinoids - they are dirty drugs.


View more of my Monarch photos

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