The chrysalis has darkened considerably over several days. Looking at it this morning, I could see details of the butterfly and knew it was about to emerge. This is 10 minutes before its emergence at 9:53 a.m. The few I've watched over the years usually emerge in mid-morning.Note that there is normally a silk sling steadying the chrysalis to the substrate. I had dropped this one while transporting it to show a friend, and the silk lines broke. (OOPS!) Luckily, the chrysalis case is tough.
I love the wing of a freshly-emerged Pipevine Swallowtail--it is glittery, like mylar.This one was not completely unfolded, so it still had a bit of a wavy texture.PCCA20080807-4277A
On Virginia Snakeroot, Aristolochia serpentaria. The eggs are just under one millimeter in diameter, based on measurements I have made previously.These were on the underside of a stem, mostly, and I had to bend the plant over to get to them. I tried various backgrounds, but felt the dark of a distant background (flash lighting the foreground) accentuated the shape of the eggs the best.Pcca20080710-3513a
Monarch butterfly NymphalidaeIntroduced to the Hawaiian IslandsOahu, Hawaii, USAA caterpillar feeding on Crown flower (Calotropis gigantea), a very large relative of milkweeds.There appears to be a love or hate affiliation with Crown flowers and Monarch butterflies, with some opinions straddling the fence. People who grow crown flowers for lei or merely as a landscape plant, understandably, do not want the caterpillars eating their plants. Those that love the Monarchs do not want to see them destroyed. But like it or not, Crown flower is a favored food for Monarch butterfly caterpillars in Hawaii. Untreated plants usually receive extensive damage to foliage. nativeplants.hawaii.edu/