The butterflies mate in Mexico. It must be preformed in the right way at the right moment. We found the morning in Mexico to have dew and dampness, even if the rest of the day was hot and sunny. This helps the butterflies fly at the end of their cycle from caterpillar to butterfly.

• The female butterflies lay their eggs on the foliage of the poisonous milkweed and dogbanes.

• The egg becomes a caterpillar.
• The caterpillar looks like the monarch in colors and is poisonous to predators.
• The caterpillar has two molts.
• When the last larval capsule is shed, what is revealed is a pupa.
• The exposed pupa of a butterfly is called a chrysalis, and may hang from a leaf or stem.
• Usually at night or the damp hours of dawn, the crysalis splits open.

The new butterfly hangs motionless. This is a difficult time and if there is insufficient dampness, the wings may dry and harden before they expand, and the butterfly cannot fly. The best time to look for adults is the day after a rainstorm or after a particularly dewy morning. The butterfly will fly off to start a new cycle.