A Star is Born

Actually, two.  Two Painted Lady butterflies emerged from their chrysalids in our butterfly garden tent today.  We've provided them with orange segments and napkins soaked in sugar water (1 cup water with 3 teaspoons sugar; extra refrigerated for later).  And have watched them walk along the netting walls of the tent.  It takes awhile for their wings to harden, apparently, so there hasn't been any flying yet.  But we'll be watching.

And watching the cats, who have thankfully slept the day through and do not know the butterflies are here.  We keep the tent in the basement landing for safety but have had it out a lot in the event that the other three butterflies emerge sometime today.  Nothing yet.  

Depending on when the others "hatch," we'll probably do the release this weekend with Mama.  And hopefully then we'll have some of our own pictures of them.