The Butterfly Whisperer!

This is my oldest son...he's the "Butterfly Whisperer." 

He and his lovely wife (the sweetest girl I know) and his four kids (the babies)
went on a hunt for monarch caterpillars and  found seven of them. 

The "BW" (butterfly whisperer) made this house for them to live 
and hang in (literally) while they made the metamorphosis  
from caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. 

Here's one of the butterfly's...it emerged earlier that day.
After they come out of the cocoon they hang like that while their wings dry. 

We had just released one butterfly that was ready to fly. 

This one's wings had dried, which means their wings
open up and they sit around for awhile looking all pretty and butterflish.
It's a great time for the kids to hold them because they really
can't go anywhere just yet, but I'm sure they're thinking about it. 
Thinking about it, but not talking about it, butterflies are very quiet...
quiet and pretty, I love that about them. 

I guess you can tell if they're boys or girls,
 I forget how though , you'd have to ask the "BW" he knows all the facts.
After all he is the "Butterfly Whisperer!"

The "Babies" named each of the seven butterflies...

Here's their names: Pancake, Popsicle, Popcorn  (I'm sure this one was named on my behalf, every Friday I watch a movie and make popcorn with them),
Waffle, Ice Cream, Jerry and Leafy!   

This guy, I think it's Popsicle, is still drying off...

I can't believe that this one didn't get named Pokey...
He kept saying he's pokey, he's pokey.

The last butterfly to make it's appearance had some kind of deformity
on one of it's wings.  The "Butterfly Whisperer" read up on how to fix him up
so he could take off like his brothers and sisters.  He carefully clipped
the deformed part off the one wing and then trimmed up the other wing so they
were the same size. The surgery was successful, when he was ready
"Leafy" was off and  flying and away he went.
Bye, bye butterflies, have fun wintering in Mexico.
When you come back next Spring stop by and say "Hello!"