Absolutely a miracle! There’s some pretty wondrous stuff out there in the ‘Bug World.’
I can’t believe I found this monarch caterpillar hanging on to a dead maple leaf as I was trimming the dead peony blossoms. It’s about 10-12 feet away from the milkweed plants. I had just found the butterfly shelter a half hour before I saw this guy. Knowing we would be doing a lot of work in the next few weeks over near there, I figured he would be safer inside the shelter.
It took him a day of running around before he went into his J formation. Then I learned that they form the chrysalis 24-36 hours later, so I knew he should go sometime this afternoon. I checked on him every 20-30 minutes. When I saw him starting his wiggling, I knew he was close. Then before I knew it, the chrysalis was formed!
Yes, the miracle of life! Even with insects.