Then around lunch time, he started to wiggle and squirm and slowly his skin came off.
The black blob is his shed skin and the green blob is ... was... Morris. I'm shooting through thick, cheap glass and there's a glare, sorry.
He kept up with his wiggle for another couple of hours but was no longer recognizable as a caterpillar.
In this photo, the chrysalis is still soft.
A few hours later, the process was completed and the exterior of the chrysalis became like a hard shell to protect the dweller.
There are dots of gold around the top of the chrysalis and the veins on the side look suspiciously like butterfly wings.
When the other caterpillar starts it's pupa phase, I'll try to get it out from behind the glass and maybe get some time lapse photos. It's truly amazing to watch this metamorphosis.
Morris!!!! I knew I was missing out by not regularly reading your blog... but I had no IDEA it was as awesome a thing as Morris! Seriously cool.
ReplyDeleteOh, how wonderful! The miracle of life.
ReplyDeleteSo very cool! My kids are fascinated by this. My five year old said, "I wonder if Morris liked doing that or did it hurt?"
ReplyDeleteWe'll be sure to check back on his progress!