Yep; while we were gone yesterday--ALL DAY!--the butterfly was born.  (You know what I mean.  )  By the time we got home in the evening his wings were dry and he was ready to fly.  And yes, it really was a HIM.  PinkOne got that right when she named the cat MR. Catepillar.  PinkOne took some pictures for her storyboard, then the kids and I let Mr. Cat go.  It was an awesome sight to see him fly way.  They are so beautiful. 

Stripes is huge and I think he should be turning into a pupa soon; 2 inches long is the magic number.  He seems fine although I was afraid I'd killed him earlier by dropping him on the kitchen floor while I was cleaning his cage.  sheesh.  Tiny is also still growing.  DH asked today who was going to take care of the catepillars/butterflies when we go on vacation.  I better check the calendar and make sure we will be done raising them by then. 

We have our trip to the local Nature Zoo on Thursday to share what we learned about our catepillars; can't wait.