08/05/2026
George update! And introducing Kevin!
A few days after the last George post, I found the chrysalis, hanging from the underside of the tables that hold the potted plants. George found the perfect spot! Sheltered from rain, sun, and wind, but also hidden from predators (and me!!) I checked on it daily. On Monday August 3rd, I was in and out of the backyard in the early morning. I had a feeling George would emerge soon, so went to check. I looked towards the table at the exact moment George flew up from under the table and land on the cardinal flowers! George hung out on the cardinal flowers for a few minutes and posed for a picture, before flying away. How do I know it was George? I've never seen a monarch below the height of the tables before (except for some rogue clover in the lawn, there are no flowers at ground level in the entire yard). George also was flying a little "wobbly", almost like a baby bird taking their first awkward flights! I wished George well and I am so thankful that I got to witness such an amazing process.
But who's Kevin? Kevin is the monarch caterpillar found on the swamp milkweed in my front garden last week! The neighbourhood kids helped name him and as a group, we've decided that all caterpillars from now on shall be named after the Minions characters! 🤣😁 Kevin has since disappeared, presumably to enter into the next stage somewhere else in the garden, but I'm super excited that my little yard is doing exactly what I want it to do - support nature!!
