Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY PICTURES # 110, 1 by vitrsna

vitrsna wrote:
Okay, here you can see the empty relocated chrysalis. This is a heavier string i found somewhere around the house that is composed of three strings and am just using it up, but a single thread is sufficient.

My question is, over the years, i have noticed that when all the new butterflies leave the garden, usually one is left behind that may overnight in the garden or often times wait until an hour before dark to leave the garden. I've always been curious about this behavior. I wonder if it is to protect the territory for future egg laying, or if they are waiting for any more brothers or sisters to come out of the bushes. Or maybe both. I am curious because i've seen this happen so many times over the last 6 years. Anyone out there who has noticed this as well? Anyone have any ideas about why?