In hatching, a butterfly pushes open an escape panel, grabs the wall of the chrysalis with its legs, and makes a somersault to gain the position in the photo. Once secure, it pumps fluid from its abdomen to inflate the wings, a process that takes about ten minutes. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Newly inflated wings are wet and require several hours to dry before a butterfly can use them. It takes a couple of days before they work at peak efficiency.