We are in Winter in NZ, and so this one is very late to be coming out and flying off.
It was 22 days in the chrysalis and the chrysalis was really small - about half the normal Monarch chrysalis size. At the time of forming its 'J', under a swan plant leaf, it formed an inadequate silk button and was literally hanging by a thread. I waited until the chrysalis happened and then, using hot melt glue, repositioned it onto the flat end of a toothpick.
I poked the sharp end of the toothpick into my florists foam block and there it remained.
The chrysalis began changing colour 3 days ago. It was a super slow colour change, although by yesterday morning it had become very black with its orange wings showing through the chrysalis skin. I thought it was well close to emerging, but no, it remained in the chrysalis until 10am this morning.
But then everything happened quickly. It slid out of the chrysalis, it pumped up and dried its wings, it curled and zipped its proboscis halves together, then it became jumpy and seemed ready to go.
I placed it outside on a silver Cineraria leaf where it immediately flexed its wings, open and closed, open and closed, open and closed. This lasted for about 30 minutes.
I took several photos and measured the span of its wings (7.5cm - a usual wingspan is about 10 cm). I had barely finished doing this when off it flew. A really small and perfect male.