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Adults Emerging
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After about ten days the waxy jade green pupa (also called chrysalis) will suddenly turn blackish; the next day the shell looks dry and completely transparent. You can actually see the orange and black wings through the shell. Then without any warning the adult butterfly "drops" out of the bottom of the pupa head down, dangling from the papery shell and hanging on for dear life. The newly emerged adult is all scrunched up and wet. Then the butterfly "inflates" its wings and the body becomes sleek. Whew! That must be hard work. I've observed adults emerging most frequently during the warmest part of the day. Some didn't fly off until the next day and others flew off in the late afternoon.
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Hangin' up to dry...I'm making a movie of my butterflies in different stages of development. On the left and right are two dry adults; in the middle is one who is in the process of sliding all the way out; the two to its right are still drying out. Note the green and black chrysalis' and the vacant chrysalis shells.
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I had a lot of fun rearing my little butterfly friends this summer! Next summer I will try rearing some different native species perhaps swallowtails. Thank you for reading my "Butterfly Diary".
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