A butterfly emerges

We recently cared for caterpillars and were able to observe the entirety of their life cycle from larvae, to caterpillars, to the chrysalis stage, and finally to an adult butterfly. The process was an amazing learning experience, topped only by the fact that we were able to observe once of the butterflies emerge. 

On the afternoon of the 6th day in the chysalis, we noticed that you could see the butterfly wings much clearer than in previous days. We made note of this observation and kept our eyes peeled for any further changes. Overnight, one of the butterflies emerged and was there to greet us in the morning. 

After much stalking, we were rewarded with an amazing experience. First we heard a crack, and there was concern that something was wrong, off we headed to see what happened.