The fourth and final stage of a Monarch's metamorphosis is the adult, or the butterfly. For most people this is the only stage of this amazing process they'll ever see.

Monarchs, as adults, are completely different creatures than they were as baby butterflies (caterpillars), yet all that the caterpillar was has become what the butterfly is. Such a mystery.

The monarch caterpillar, with it's 12 simple eyes which permit it to just see some light and dark and movement, doesn't come close to the butterfly's two complex eyes, allowing it to see more colors of the rainbow that we do, and to see in almost every direction. It can fly instead of crawl, soaring high on the thermals and up to 30 mph. Butterflies drink nectar from flowers instead of chew milkweed, and they carry with them many symbols of hope, new life, renewal, and healing.