The chrysalis found on Dec 6 (almost certain already couple of weeks old) on a cardboard finally emerged as a large beautiful butterfly today, Chinese New Year's Eve! There is no liquid left in the shell. 大年三十，大美蝴蝶脫繭而出，幾乎近三個月之後，空殼內竟無剩一滴液體！
Another came out the next day, Chinese New Year Day! 連續第二日又一隻出殼，大年初一！
Third came out, Sunday Valatine's Day! 第三隻，初三情人節！
Found in my garden, 5 days from Chinese New Year. 我的小花園，離春節僅5天了。
Under the morning sun 清早陽光下
Found 3rd one, baby, on Feb 28, last day of the month. 發現第三顆，幼苗，正月十七。
看似蝙蝠的小飛蛾，翼展約23毫米，不知何名？約兩週後今天再次出現陽臺。
Moth looking like a tiny bat, about 23mm wingspan, name? Appeared today again on the balcony in about two weeks.
下面兩週前拍攝 Below taken two weeks ago:
果子上曬太陽 sunbathing on a fruit.
It came out as a butterfly March 31 二月十九蛻變出蝴蝶
Shell left 剩下軀殼
One big caterpillar a couple of days ago managed, somehow, to move over various obstacles from the lemon tree that it was on originally to a far away dead pole, and turned into unusual color after becoming a chrysalis.
Also today found another, 2.5 meter away on the metal balcony column, upside down.
In addition, just found a caterpillar turning into chrysalis on an avocado plant.
Below is how it looks if it stays around green branches. Middle summer this year.
Below is one of very first came to my big lemon tree but fixed near barren bottom trunk.
Color changed again to be more like its background 4 Dec.
 |
One turned into a butterfly in the afternoon but too cold to fly.
Found another under a cardboard 3m away and one 4m away on a pole. Dec 6.
 |
Dec 8: yesterday morning found a caterpillar on door frame, disappeared early afternoon, reappeared late pm on piles of newspaper atop the dryer, transferred to big lemon tree, but determined to go down by leaping from leaf to leaf instead of branches, fell off on to thorny small orange tree (almost leafless, all eaten by hungry caperpillars), survived, managed to get out (fell off pot edge once as it is curved inwardly) and get on the window ledge, fell off again (most likely on purpose as it has sticky feet that can hold on even vertical glass) to the ground, later emerged and climbed up the sidewall behind the pot, finally settled last night. Took picture next noon.
 |
Days old baby caterpillars 出生數日的蝴蝶幼蟲
Nov 22 Still looking like bird droppings 11月22日還像鳥糞
Lining up sunbathing一起曬太陽 11月24日 24Nov
One changed skin overnight to beautiful green 一隻過夜脫皮為美麗綠色
Getting bigger 28 Nov 越來越大11月28日
Last of the Five, moved over all kinds of obstacles from lemon to avocado tree. Other 4 turned into chrysalis already. 4 Dec. Disappeared the next day.
Turned the next day.
Butterfly came out and quickly gone Dec 26 early pm.
View from top, only shell left.
