We have been watching the progress of life in the butterfly world.
First there was a lovely butterfly that flew around for ages, checking here and there for somewhere to lay its egg(s?).
Eventually it settled on a lime tree and life began again.
The image above is interesting, the caterpillar seems to be highly organized, sleeping in exactly the same place every night or day, eating in the same area and pooping in a different place.
The photos were taken about a fortnight ago, It is 35 mm in length now and I think about to fly the coop if that is a relevant phrase.
4 comments:
Very nice! I wonder if its a papilio fuscus, or a related species?
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/papi/fuscus.html
The fuscus likes lime, and has a similar shape in the pictures there.
Hm, this mystery person appears to have had an identical caterpillar recently, and identifies it as a papilio aegeus.
http://fnqhome.com/?p=1678
Is yours going through the same chubby green stage?
Yeah, it's interesting to note it has moved to the trunk of the tree, and is hiding under a leaf.
Just went and checked now, it was munching big time, almost half a leaf gone.
I am afraid when it sprouts wings, and I will miss it. (put it in a bottle?)
It turns into a very pretty butterfly (though apparently they're prone to dying as pupae towards the end of the breeding season).
You could put it in a large jar with some branches from the tree, but make sure you keep giving it freshly picked leaves - it needs them to be refreshed every 2 hours or so apparently. Or move the whole tree somewhere safe?
Wikipedia says they hatch in a week, but I also found this: "metamorphosis may take from one to six months, depending on the season".
If it doesn't hatch within a week, it may be dead (all part of the life cycle)... or maybe it's just sleeping and you can store it for the winter! See:
http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/overwintering-techniques
See also:
http://australian-insects.com/lepidoptera/papi/aegeus.html
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_butters/Orch_butt.htm
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