Late this afternoon, I finally climbed down off the tall stepladder to take the old dog out for a hike. He has been so patient with me as I paint the living room that he got three extra treats and a promise of a nice, long walk! After nearly an hour of meandering about the place, we settled down on the pier to watch the mullet jump. Oops! Big mistake. Spring is here...the gnats are out in full force. That ended our lounging for the day as even PJ wanted inside!
On the way back up the hill, a small movement in the pine straw caught my eye causing me to linger a bit longer. Since I had left the door open, PJ was safely inside and I could explore the cause of the wiggling pine needles. Dropping to my knees, I was surprised to see a moth making its way up a pine tree. This little guy had just emerged of its chrysalis and was ready to do its transformation! It was a matter of being at the right place at the right time! So what else could I do but watch!
At the first sighting, the wings of the moth were still tightly folded and moist. The moth needed to climb a few feet before finding a satisfactory spot to unfurl the wings so they could dry and it could become a full fledged moth. This only took a few moments and I admit that I wandered off for a bit in the midst of the transformation. About ten minutes from start to finish was all it took for the critter to turn from a weird looking bug to a gorgeous moth!
Now a question...why are most butterflies so brightly colored while most moths are predominantly gray, brown or green? Well, it is a simple matter of survival. Butterflies are active during the day and visit brightly colored flowers to feed. Their colors help them to blend with their surroundings. The same goes for moths. Most moths are more active at night and hide during the daytime hours. Their coloring and markings help them to blend with tree bark or leaves. At night, there is no need for bright colors so the more muted tones suit their needs. Question answered!
About noontime, Mark and I headed over to our daughter and son-in-law's place for a Father's Day cookout. Robbie was grilling hamburgers which was the perfect meal to have for his father-in-law. You just cannot go wrong with a burger for a guy! After we ate, Elizabeth and I took our usual stroll about the place. We checked her gardens, the spot she chose for a shoofly and the trimming job that Robbie did on the oak tree. All looked well kempt.
She then showed me her satsuma and grapefruit trees. "Caterpillars ate my satsuma tree." she bemoaned but then looking at the bright side "But look! I have twins! Sure enough on the trunk of the little tree, two fat chrysalides were suspended by thin silk. Elizabeth informed me that there were more caterpillars on the little trees but she smashed them not realizing just what they were. When I told her that these caterpillars will change into Great Swallowtails, she was all for leaving them. So the bush got pruned until it was nigh on devoid of leaves. The "Orange Dogs" were fat and happy! Twins!
The Giant Swallowtail butterfly lays her eggs on citrus trees if available, hence the name Orange Dog caterpillar. These caterpillars bear a striking resemblance to fresh bird poop. This is not their only defense, however. If threatened, bright red "horns" called osmeterium emerge from their head and emit an odor that is quite convincing of the bird poop camouflage. Not too many critters want to go around eating stinky bird poop so the caterpillars munch away unmolested.
While the menfolk decided to do a bit of mechanical work on the lawnmower, Elizabeth and I had a grand time exploring her place a bit more. All in all, it was a delightful way to spend the afternoon!
Oh, what a beautiful day! After so many days of steady rain, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and the caterpillars were changing to their chrysalis stages! Well, actually the first two were right. That caterpillar thing actually started yesterday in the pouring rain. And, yep, I was out to witness the phenomenon. Mark and I made a quick hike about the hillside during a break in the rains and found the caterpillars "in process" of cocooning.
The Florence Fennel that fills the herb garden with such graceful fronds is the favorite food of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly. Each year, the plants can be found with dozens of the hungry caterpillars all munching away on my plants. Since I adore the butterflies flitting about the garden, I do not have the heart to rid the host plants of their diners. I figure that they cannot do that much harm to a five foot tall plant so I just let them fill their little tummies. The rainstorm of yesterday did not seem to deter the critters from their morphing process. When Mark and I went to check the fennel plants, the caterpillars had vacated the fronds and moved onto the fence boards surrounding the garden. Several had already made the change and were hanging by thin, threads. One was still a caterpillar clinging to the board. With another storm in the works, I felt badly for the tiny critter. Perhaps he would not be able to withstand the pelting rain and the high winds. I felt the urge to "help" the critter even against what I know Son would have advised. "Leave nature alone, Mom. It has done fine all along without your help." I have heard these words on more (many more) occasions than one. He admonishes me for interfering with the lives of wild critters but since he was inside, I could help my caterpillar without his knowing....right? A window from the hotbed would serve as the perfect shelter for my critter friend! I felt good about my attempt to protect the little guy.
Fast forward until today. The two cocoons were still intact on the fence boards. My caterpillar? Well, he was having a bit of a problem. Obviously, my protective services hindered his progress....he was still a caterpillar! That change had not occurred. Ok...so I removed the window, apologized and wished him well. Hopefully, a hungry bird would not dine upon the hapless critter. Two hours after removing the window pane, I checked again and, lo and behold, a chrysalis hung where the caterpillar was earlier! He made it! So, I guess I should listen to Son and leave well enough alone. Lesson learned...at least until next time that I feel the urge to "help"! On a happy note..it will not be long before butterflies are gracing the garden! (And laying more eggs on the fennel.)
Mother Nature has this weird and wonderful thing down pat. Mark and I went out to purge the spinach patch of snails when he discovered something that I found to be rather remarkable. He pointed out a chrysalis that had been attached under the back porch railing. Hmmm? Does it not seem to be a tad cold for a butterfly to be thinking of developing? I pondered that thought as I photographed the tiny case.
The case appears to be that of a Monarch Butterfly. The caterpillar also seems to be close to emerging as a full grown butterfly. The chrysalis starts out as bright green but as the butterfly inside starts to develop, the case starts to show the colors of the butterfly's wings. This one was already darkening so it should not be long before the side splits and the critter emerges. It will hang for a while under the railing while it unfolds and flexes its wings. Then off into the world it will fly...cold weather or not.
Monarch Butterflies are a bit different that most other butterflies. While they go through basically the same changes from egg to adult during the spring and summer months, come late fall, things change. The average life span of the adult warm-weather critters is anywhere from two to five weeks. During that time, the butterfly eats, mates and lays eggs. The eggs will hatch in a few days and the critters starts life as tiny caterpillars. For two weeks, the caterpillars eat milkweed. They grow and grow until finally each will create a chrysalis. Inside its chrysalis, each caterpillar will go through metamorphosis. The change takes about two weeks then a beautiful butterfly crawls out to start the cycle all over again. The late fall butterfly crawls out of the chrysalis, eats but does not mate. Instead, it starts migrating. Its life lasts up to eight months. During that time the butterfly migrates southward and mates once it reaches its destination. The new batch of butterflies emerge usually in February or March. These will start the migration back northward. They will mate, lay eggs and let the cycle continue. Our friend seems to be a bit early.
I am curious to see if the critter survives the next few nights. Our weather has taken a turn to the chilly side which cannot feel too happy for the morphing butterfly. Hopefully, since the chrysalis is dangling on the south side of the porch, it will be protected from the icy winds. I will keep watch. Oh...one obviously just did its metamorphosis since right next to this case was an empty shell. Hopefully, that butterfly did well! I better plant more milkweed!
