Flutterbys

In all the excitement of our Florida trip, I completely forgot the Black Swallowtail butterflies!  When we left, they were all in their chrysalises and I wasn't sure when they were planning to come out.  The references said between one and two weeks, but that it could be longer if it was late in the season.  I figured that the basement was so cool that the butterflies might think it was fall. 

After getting home last night, I finally remembered the butterflies this afternoon and went down to check on them.  This is what I found:

It looks like two of the four caterpillars emerged while we were in Florida and lived out their short lives.  I found one on the desk and one under my chair.  The beauty in the pictures above probably emerged today and was still drying its wings.  There's a fourth chrysalis, but it doesn't look right and I don't think the butterfly survived. 

Sam and I took the little guy in the basement outside to meet the wide world.  It was great watching him take flight.