In June we planted parsley to attract butterflies, having remembered finding caterpillars on parsley we planted over twenty years ago and the fun we had watching the metamorphosis into a butterfly.
By the end of July we discovered several tiny caterpillars on our healthy parsley plants.
Here is one of the black and white "oreo" caterpillars we first discovered. Notice the orange-tipped "pokey-outy" things all over his body.
Within a day or two the caterpillars changed completely in looks. Now they were doubled in size and much more attractive with their black and white stripes and orange spots. No weird orange-tipped projections anymore.
This caterpillar is about 1 inch long and much fatter than the "oreo" stage the day or two before.
Eating voraciously, these caterpillars continued to grow rapidly and to eat up all the parsley in our flower pots. We noticed the number of caterpillars dwindling. Did some birds discover them and pick them off as a tasty treat? I found one crossing the hot brick patio and another on a nearby bush. I rescued them, put them back in the pot, and ran to the store for parsley. If only we could keep the remaining three alive until Madeline arrived from Phoenix a day or two later.
By this time the caterpillars looked quite different again! They were now bright green, like the parsley, with stripes and yellow markings. This was what they looked like when we first noticed them twenty-some years ago.
Notice that the parsley is almost eaten up. These guys are hungry, hungry caterpillars!
They were frantically eating and then searching for food...on the move! I placed store-bought parsley in the planter and moved the caterpillars to it. One began eating it, but the other two were not much interested. Afraid they may have gotten dehydrated on their over-brick treks, I brought the two in the house and put them in jars with parsley, a little water, and a twig.
That night as we slept an amazing thing happened. One of the caterpillars formed a chrysalis around himself. It was attached to the twig by a silk thread.
The brown chrysalis is attached to the stick by a single silk thread.
Madeline arrived about the time the second caterpillar had attached himself to the twig and and was waiting for the chrysalis phase.
By morning this second caterpillar had formed a chrysalis.
I brought the third caterpillar in and fixed him up in a jar, too. In a few days he, too, had formed a chrysalis, but his transformation chamber was parsley green instead of brown, like the other two.
The green chrysalis was quite different from the two brown ones.
The first two butterflies emerged when Madeline was gone for a couple of days visiting her other grandparents. I was sad she missed the beautiful creatures. We took pictures to show her and set them on the parsley which had grown back in the two weeks since the caterpillars had left.
Isn't this first one gorgeous! We noticed the beautiful blue of the lower wings as he was climbing up the twig to dry after emerging.
The underside of the wings were a slightly different, but also a beautiful pattern.
The second butterfly had more yellow than blue. We were in awe of the incredible change that had taken place inside those crusty chryalises in just 10 to 14 days!
I prayed the third would emerge when Madeline was here for the final 15 hours or so before returning home to Phoenix! God is so good! When we awoke the morning of her departure, sure enough the final butterfly was drying his damp wings. Awakened by her mother, Madeline ran down to see the miracle! I grabbed the camera and caught some precious shots of the butterfly walking on Madeline's hands, arm, hair, and pj's. She giggled because it tickled as it hurried "gently" up her bare arm.
Madeline with her new friend! Can you tell she was talking to me?
The most amazing thing was that Leslie told us the DNA of the caterpillar completely changes inside the chrysalis. The DNA of the butterfly is totally different from that of the caterpillar. Only God knows how this happens! It was so much fun to see this incredible mysterious metamorphosis up close!
You may want to plant some parsley next summer and see what happens! Experience the beautiful mystery yourself!
1 comment:
Wow, I love how you captured each stage of the process in pictures Carol. Now all I need to do is remember to plant parsley when my granddaughters are old enough for this science lesson. Thanks for the idea!
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