What a great Sunday morning!   As I was making coffee, I noticed a Queen chrysalis had turned black and would be hatching soon.   Before I had finished my first cup, this perfect specimen had emerged, leaving the spent chrysalis behind like a cascaron during Fiesta.
After about 90 minutes, we took him outside and he flew off to light on a nearby Desert Willow.
In case you’re wondering, you can tell it’s a boy by those two little black pouches evident when he spreads his wings.   Word is he uses these pheromone glands to get the lady butterflies excited.

More good news:  whenever we start seeing Queens, that means Monarch Butterfly season is just around the corner.  I’ve already seen a couple at the ranch, and harvested some eggs.
Stay tuned for updates.  It’s not too early to order your Monarch tags from Monarch Watch.