In Rob’s words:“Natasha and I met, and she transferred the butterfly she had named “Xena: The Warrior Monarch Butterfly” into my care. I have since determined that what looked like a tachinid fly larva was actually the rolled up, unformed wing that became detached either in the chrysalis, or when she eclosed. Why she was born without that 4th wing is still a mystery, but as she tested negative for OE, and was in otherwise good health (except for the fact that she was unable to fly, and one of her legs is crippled), I decided to keep her for study.
At any rate, Xena is still kicking, 11 weeks later (on New Year’s Eve). Her wings are battered, and they have lost all color, but she seems content. She generally feeds herself from a cap full of honey water, although sometimes she needs help, and lets me know when I walk into the room, by turning to face me and “shivering” her wings. I pick her up and put her against her nectar cap, and when she’s done, she usually climbs back up to the top of her cage to roost.”
It is now January 29th and Xena continues to hold steady.
She could now be called Xena: Miracle Butterfly!
Update: Xena slipped away in the morning of February 3, 2021. She had lived as a butterfly since October 18, 2020. She touched the lives of all who met her and deepened my love of and commitment to saving the Monarch butterfly.
Such a beautiful expression of your love of nature with the Monarch Butterfly process.
Loved this! Thank you for capturing this inspiring experience.