It's certainly being a sweet butterfly Summer in our butterfly garden. 
I have Verbena, Lantana and tall Zinnias growing for the butterflies. There's also Swan Plant (our New Zealand milkweed, Gomphocarpus physocarpus) and the butterflies are also enjoying the flowers of our Yellow Daisy Bush (Euryops Pectinatus).

Our flowers must be like a little nectar oasis in the bush area we live in, as there are no other gardens with flowers in our area. In most years we see very few Monarchs, however this Summer is different.

Each day we're seeing three or four Monarchs wheeling around the garden. They sup nectar from the flowers and then twist and turn together, up in the air, like dancers.

The other fun part about watching the Monarchs is seeing them chase birds. Yes, birds.
If any bird chances along their flight path they immediately chase them, at speed, until the bird is out of the way. I've watched them chase Sparrows, Barbary Doves, Tuis.

A beautiful and perfect female Monarch Butterfly flew off to her butterfly life today.
I got a couple of things wrong with this one. Firstly I though perhaps it had died in the chrysalis, because it seemed to be a bit slow in coming out and it took 2 days from when I first saw a colour change until it opened the chrysalis (usually it only takes 1 day). Then I though it was going to be a male because the male butterflies can be quite slow in emerging.
But no, there she was and absolutely perfect. Her entry to the butterfly world was text-book, once the process started.
Just take a look at these pictures that I took before she flew off.

Click on each picture to see a larger view..............

Monarch Butterfly No 6, of the current batch, emerged from her chrysalis and flew off to her butterfly life today, despite the rain.
Like the others, it was text book stuff. They've never done this before, yet they absolutely know what to do.
She eased herself out of her chrysalis, zipped the two halves of her proboscis together (if they don't do this they can't feed), hung down her wings to dry. As time passed she became more lively and started to move around a little. I set the foam pad she was settled on, outside under cover and left her to it. It's been raining for several days however experience has taught me that once a Monarch butterfly has dried it's wings and is ready to go, it just wants to go.

The rain started stopped, started stopped, just lightly, and before long she flew up into a nearby bush. After a while we saw her flying about the garden beautifully. Once you see them do a long glide through the air, you know they fine, and we saw our girl do several long glides - even in the rain. 

Two male Monarch Butterflies have emerged this morning. Absolute text book stuff.
Perfect from egg, through five caterpillar instars, to a beautiful J, a perfect chrysalis formation, 10 days in the chrysalis, a quiet and perfect sliding out of the chrysalis, perfect proboscis joining, now hanging to let wings dry. 

I'll set them outside, in a few hours time, so they can fly off to their butterfly life 🦋

For its first flight it flew high into a tree, rested awhile, and then it was off to enjoy its butterfly life.  🦋

Our Monarch season is going very well. We have perfect weather and there don't seem quite as many wasps around as in previous seasons at this time.

This video and photos show one of the caterpillars just out of its egg today. It then turns around and eats the shell of the egg - it's first (and a most important) nourishment.

They are so so tiny and beautiful little miracles.

Our Monarch caterpillars are coming along well.  In my area, at this early part of the season, the milkweed plants (in New Zealand we have Swan Plants - Ascelpias physocarpa) are healthy. So far there are not too many Aphids around to damage the plants, so they're in good condition for the Monarchs.

We have some great nectar flowers in bloom right now, so it's wonderful to see "our" three local Monarch butterflies flitting around the garden each day. They twist and turn around the garden, enjoying the flowers. The females lay eggs on the Swan Plants as they go. It's fun to see how Monarch butterflies chase Sparrows - something I didn't know they did until I saw it for myself.

Click on each picture below to see closer.......................