In 2013, I had got in contact with our friend in Colima, Mexico, none other than @vitrsna. By then, we had exchanged mails and got to know our common interests. I had seen a few photos of her lovely caterpillars and butterflies in her lovely little yard and wondered how it was all happening up so close to her! In November that year, I had the chance to watch a caterpillar eat and grow, make its chrysalis, emerge out of it with wings ready and fly away! I could not believe my eyes when I was lucky to be able to watch these happen in front of me in my own garden. If not for the knowledge vitrsna shared with me on this I would not have known all this and would not have known how long it took. It was a real thrill. Here are some photos I took of this lovely butterfly, Plain Tiger. I also took pleasure in adding also another butterfly - a Common Jezebel which did the same to my blog, here: http://dinusyarden.blogspot.in/2013/12/common-jezebel-eclosion.html Photos: Photos did not upload in the order I wanted. Ready to come out, wings have got their colour. This is a fresh chrysalis. This is the "Plain Tiger", just emerged out. Emerging out of the cyrysalis. Drying its wings. Empty cyrysalis.
Sorry , I wrongly titled the post with "Common Jezebel". It should read "Plain Tiger". Sorry for this faux pas.
A lovely series of photographs Dinu. It must have taken a lot of patience to get them. I'm so glad you did though and shared them with us. Thank you.
Thanks a lot. Yes, I did spend a lot of time in front of it, waiting and watching and clicking. My time was really worth, luckily on one occasion it was a holiday and the other a little early in the morning, before I got ready to go to work. I then realized how much I had missed out in the past, by not knowing that invaluable information vitrsna gave me when she did. I'll share some photos - have to dig up the folders.
Lovely sequence of photos Dinu. It's too bad they didn't come out in order but i think people will be able to figure it out. What i find so interesting is that this "Plain Tiger" (not so plain really) is a relative to the Monarch (both Genus Danaus) known in the Americas. As i recall the caterpillar is very similar to the one in my avatar which is Danaus gilippus (Queen) and the chrysalis is also the same, but the color and wing patterns of the butterfly are different although they have in common the white polka dots on the head and thorax. Your photo of the green chrysalis is so good because it captures the gold of the corona. My photos of the Monarch, Queen, and Soldier chrysalises usually have a dull yellow appearance which is deceiving. I guess i am not getting the right light to really show off the gold. The chrysalis is so beautiful, like a jewel. Also your photo of the newly emerged butterfly shows so well the tiny crumpled up wings and overly large thorax which is typical at eclosure of all the butterflies that i know. You mentioned the butterfly "drying its wings". So many people use this phrase, even people who know they are not "drying wings" sometimes use it. I don't get that. It is not drying its wings at all, it is waiting for the fluid in the large thorax to flow into the veins of the wings making them strong enough to fly. Really a nice sequence I wonder if people took a look at the Common Jezebel that was attached to your post as a thumbnail and is so very beautiful? I think we may have figured out at one time what butterflies in the Americas are related to the Jezebel, but now i cannot remember
Fixed that for you Dinu. The shots are so wonderful. It was really tightly packed into the chrysalis.
Thank you Frank. Here is a shot I took in 2007 of the Common Jezebel. It must have been a very fresh butterfly emerged from the chrysalis, getting its veins of its wings filled with fluid to make it strong and enable flying [thanks for the correction @vitrsna and more information]. Normally it flies up and does not come as low as this or sit as still for so long as then. That was the first time I saw it up so close and enjoyed the beauty of those wings. I have another close up of the wings that show the fresh texture of the wings. I looked for it.. perhaps I have lost it in the hard drive that went kaput [lost a few important photos prior to 2011, but luckily some were still in the PC]. I have the resized ones though, but they don't show the details.
That common Jezebel is quite a beauty....great series of photos. If I remember right I did the same thing quite a few years back for the Monarch. It was fascinating to watch everything going on. My Monarch was on a plant, I think it was a purple coneflower. Interesting that they picked the spot where they did for you...
This Jezebel is probably the most colourful of the fluttering friends in my yard. I really loved sitting and watching. Thanks Sherry. If the plants become bushy, it will become difficult to spot if any such activity goes on, like it happened in the last few months - have not seen any chrysalises or caterpillars. May be they are eaten by the bulbuls I cannot be sure anyway.
It is funny to me this bfly is called "Common Jezebel". She doesn't appear at all "common" to me. I wonder what the uncommon Jezebel looks like?
