She emerged from her chrysalis late yesterday afternoon but it was too late in the day for her to fly off, as by then the temperatures were quite cold. As you may know, butterflies can't fly well when its cold. I decided to keep her in overnight, so got out the large Caterpillar Castle and in she went.
This morning dawned sunny but cold, so I waited until about 10am and then placed her outside in the sun. She immediately spread her wings very wide, to take as much warmth into her body as possible. As you may be aware, body temperature can greatly affect a butterfly's ability to fly. The muscles in the insect's midsection (the thorax) must be warm in order for the butterfly to flap its wings fast enough for takeoff.
I moved the butterfly around the garden, onto several different plants in the sun, and then left her to take in the warmth. When I checked back around lunchtime she had gone.
I hope she has a perfectly lovely butterfly life 🦋
Click through each picture, below, to follow her travels today...........