A Birthday treat

For weeks, we've been watching these butterflies, mostly swallowtails, dance around the yard. We've watched the Black Swallowtails lay their eggs on the Fennel Plant (the first batch of butterfly pics below). We've watched the caterpillars grow from nearly 1/8 inch into 2" critters. We've seen some empty cocoons, proof that we've hatched some, without knowing it. Recently, we've seen several of the cocoons shortly after they were formed. This morning, we were treated to a special surprise, catching 2 butterflies who had just (within minutes) emerged from the cocoons.

These pictures show them, no more than 3 minutes out in the fresh air, stretching and drying their wings. After about 3 hours, they took flight, and are currently dancing with our other butterfly friends in the gardens. Life is very good here in the Heartland of Carolina, and life is also WONDERFUL, sharing it with Lynne.

It's been a very good first day of my 6th decade of life ;-)