“The patient: this 3-day-old little boy was born with torn upper and lower wings. Let’s see how we can help!”
Today the Department of Awesomely Good Deeds salutes costume designer and master embroiderer Romy McCloskey who used her fine skills with delicate materials to help a monarch butterfly she’d raised and who’d emerged from his cocoon with damaged right wings.
“The operating room and supplies: towel, wire hanger, contact cement, toothpick, cotton swab, scissors, tweezers, talc powder, extra butterfly wing”
“Securing the butterfly and cutting the damaged parts away. Don’t worry it doesn’t hurt them. It’s like cutting hair or trimming fingernails”
“Ta-da! With a little patience and a steady hand, I fit the new wings to my little guy”
“The black lines do not match completely and it is missing the black dot (male marking) on the lower right wing, but with luck, he will fly”
“FLIGHT DAY! After a day of rest and filling his belly with homemade nectar, it is time to see if he will fly”
“With a quick lap around the yard and a little rest on a bush, he was off! A successful surgery and outcome! Bye, little buddy! Good luck”
[via Bored Panda]
This is so cool! Its like Imping for insects! Imping is a falconry/ wildlife rehabbed technique, where damaged feathers on a bird are replaced with undamaged feathers that are glued into place. It looks like the same idea happened here! I hope this lucky little monarch made his way to his wintering grounds with his new wing!
WHOLESOME
Reblogging this because especially now, Monarchs need your help. Researchers had guessed that the species's numbers were falling but as of 2021, they learned that instead of a steady slope it was a drop. Monarchs are endangered.
