Metamorphosis on the Front Porch

Saturday found me at the neighborhood garden center (again!) looking for herb plants and instead I found a small caterpillar of a type I haven't seen for a couple of years.
I brought it home and gave it a dill plant of its very own to eat and live on and by the end of the first week it had more than quadrupled in length. Sunday May 23 it attached itself to the stem with bands of silk and by the afternoon had finally shed its last caterpillar skin and made a chrysalis of itself.
I began keeping a close watch after 3 days - I couldn't remember how long it took but it seemed a week was about right and I didn't want to take any chances of missing the butterfly in the process of emerging as I had done twice in the recent past. I only knew that just before the event that the color changed from green to near-black as the color of the black butterfly began to show through and hatching always seemed to happen early in the morning.

Late at night May 31st I checked him and found his color had begun to change! I set my alarm for 6:30 am and made sure the camera was ready to go - on the tripod with the right lens and close-up filter. I didn't figure I'd need my flash because it would be at a time that I would have morning sun.
At 7 am I was mostly awake and had the camera and tripod in position, cup of coffee in hand, cushion for spending time on my hard front porch steps and had just gotten comfortable and ready to wait him out when I looked up and saw the top had split and the head was visible! I realized that the sun had not yet cleared the trees and we were still in shade - not bright enough for the small aperture I wanted to use and also that this was going to be over in a moment - no time to run back into the house for the flash unit!
I opened the F-stop almost wide open and clicked and advanced over and over, not bothering with the viewfinder - just taking in the little wonder unfolding and trying to document it, too.

It was over in less than 30 seconds.

After getting himself clear of his old shell, he climbed to the top of the stalk and waited there while his wings gradually unfurled themselves.
The sun finally came up over the trees and really lit him up and got his wings dried out. He took his first flight about an hour after emerging.
I have to admit I felt a little happy-sad to watch him flutter away across the yard. I hoped he'd be alright and at least live long enough to leave more caterpillars behind.
Now, where did these eggs come from?
Home
Butterfly Gallery