2-legged Monarch -inspirational experience

[Kim]

Just last week, from a normal-looking (Monarch) Chrysalis, a 2-legged Monarch Butterfly emerged. (Only 4 out of the 6 actual legs are easily discernible with any Monarch -4 being longer, and thus more noticeable and 2, harder to detect.)
This butterfly could not hold onto its Chrysalis after emerging and fell to the bottom of the netting enclosure (suffering no injuries but unable to climb up the netting as most healthy Monarchs routinely do). After a few hours, when I knew the wings would be dry, I carefully placed my fingers under the butterfly. (A healthy butterfly recently emerged will often try to climb onto your finger.)
When I realized that it could not climb, I looked under the netting and realized that the butterfly had only 2 longer legs. I was upset and thinking that perhaps I should euthanize the poor little guy (by putting it into the freezer). I was thinking that since it couldn't climb, that perhaps, in the wild, it would not be able to feed itself either.
The next morning I thought I'd see how he managed so I placed him on a potted plant out in the sunlight. He was a little wobbly so I steadied him. He maintained an upright position and opened and closed his large wings in the warm sunlight. About a minute later...you guessed it...he fluttered those gorgeous wings and took off. Initially he landed in a nearby tree, then off again, landing on the next door neighbour's roof, then off again (this time disappearing high overhead)!!
He may not have been able to walk, but boy could he fly!!! (I was so inspired by this little creature -just hope those wings help him out of any tricky situations he may encounter because of his disability! GOOD LUCK!)

[Mona Miller]

Those Monarchs leave a little hole in our hearts because they take a piece of our hearts with them. Onward and upward.