The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
"Who are you?" said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, "I - I hardly know, sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."
Advice from a Caterpillar
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
Eastern Black Swallowtail Caterpillar
(Papilio polyxenes)
In February I planted some parsley in the garden to attract these butterflies. It worked. I planted. They came. Laid eggs. And. . .
Below the smaller caterpillar is in an early instar (stage). It is darker with more orange and a white saddle. They will go through five instar stages before they are ready to pupate or turn into a chrysalis.
Caterpillars are eating machines, these will grow from .08 to 1.5 inches. As they grow they molt or shed their skin. After each molt the caterpillar will swallow air while it's new skin is soft, then when it hardens, it will expel the air which gives it room to grow. Caterpillars, like other insects, breath through spiracles or pores located on the thorax and abdomen.
Caterpillars have two types of legs. The three pair of thoratic legs with hooks are used to hold food. The Five sets of prolegs, four abdominal and one anal, are used for gripping. The Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillar has an orange Y-shaped gland called an osmeterium which pops up and emits an unpleasant odor when the caterpillar is agitated.
Once the fifth instar stage is reached the caterpillar stops eating. Any undigested food is excreted in the form of a yellowish gel. I was amazed at the amount of gel expelled in one rushed flush. Below I was able to catch the last lingering drop.
The gel blob at the bottom of the tank.
Next the caterpillar begins searching for a place to attach, usually a branch or leaf. But much more is taking place inside that small body as Dr. Brower explains.
What is happening is a biological miracle going on inside that caterpillar. Enzymes are being released that digest all the caterpillar tissue, so that the caterpillar is being converted into a rich culture medium.
Inside the caterpillar are several sets of little cells that are in different parts of the body and they're called "imaginal disks." These are really like little groups of embryonic cells. And as soon as the metamorphosis gets going and as that chrysalid forms the skin is shed off the larva, and now the larva has turned into a chrysalid. These little cells start growing like crazy. And one imaginal disk will become a wing (so there are at least 4 imaginal disks because there are 4 wings in the butterfly). There are imaginal disks that form the legs, the antennae and all the organs of the adult butterfly.
And so inside that chrysalis, during the first 3-4 days is literally a bag of rich fluid media that these cells are growing on. And so the transformation of metamorphosis goes. Nothing likes this happens in vertebrates — ever. It's a phenomenon of insects and it truly is a miraculous biological process of transformation.
Inside the Chrysalis
by Dr. Lincoln Brower
Now the caterpillar has crawled up the stick in the tank, spun it's silk harness and attached it's anal prolegs. It's ready to change from larva to chrysalis.
Early the next evening as I sat on the back porch watching, I noticed the caterpillar begin to move as though it was breathing deeply. There was also movement from inside the body that reminded me of seeing a baby's fist pressing and moving against the swollen belly of a very pregnant woman, or maybe something out of Alien. It seemed to blush as it turned a pink shade around the head. Suddenly the caterpillar threw it's head back and waves began to ripple up and down it's body. I was certain I was witnessing a caterpillar orgasm. I positioned my camera and continued to watch through the lens. The following series of photos is what took place in the next two minutes.
So now that beautiful caterpillar looks like a dried up leaf on a twig.
But I know what beauty is developing inside and maybe, just maybe, I'll be lucky enough again to be out on the back porch watching at just the right moment to capture and witness the next extraordinary transition.
Sources
Caterpillar Anatomy
Joyful Butterfly
It's been nine years today since I registered at Daily Kos, so I wanted to contribute something to mark the day.
I hope you enjoyed the photos, learned something or better yet, are inspired to plant plants to attract these amazing creatures in your own environment. You will be assured a wonderful experience.
Here is a site where you can plug in your location down to the county and see what butterflies are fluttering around. And here is one that list host plants.
Are you seeing butterflies and caterpillars in your area? Please share your own photos or experiences in the comments.