Red Admiral out of its cocoon

A couple of weeks ago, our girls found some caterpillars. They wanted to keep them to see them transform into butterflies. We used a Dutch website to identify what species the caterpillars were and for one of them I was pretty sure it was a red admiral.

Much to my surprise, the caterpillar started its transformation only a couple of days after the girls found it. In a jar in our living room, hanging on a nettle leaf, the caterpillar lost its skin and turned into a cocoon. Then, this afternoon, one of Nienke's friends came over to play. She wanted to see the cocoon and that's when the girls noticed the butterfly was getting out of its cocoon! I wasn't home, but fortunately Martine made some pictures of the girls setting the red admiral free. They saw the whole phase of the wings unfolding and the butterfly getting ready for its first flight. What an amazing experience this has been for them! Ellis missed the event (she was visiting my parents with me), but after this success I guess we will try it again next summer.

Tonight we will have a street barbecue. The weather isn't that great but I guess it will be fun. With the great day I had yesterday on our wedding anniversary, this sure is a great weekend. I hope everyone here on Blipfoto is also having fun!