Saturday, August 04, 2012

Becoming a Swallowtail Butterfly (in pictures)

This is where it all started. An aquarium planted with fennel.
We located fennel in a community garden that had little golden
eggs of the Swallowtail.





A day or two before hatching the egg turns black.









little hatchling. (images photographed through jewelers loop)

Three days old.


About 5 days old.



9 days old, third skin.


12 days old. 4th skin.


spinning the rope that keeps it in place as it metamorphoses.

Still working. Day 15?

About day 16, comatose.

after sitting around a few days,the last skin falls away...Its moving

And now a full chrysalis, good morning.

After nearly two weeks of no change, the wing patterns
appear through skin
Emergence

stretching the wings

Stayed with us about 24 hours before taking its new wings to air.