2019 September 3 morning

 

   On August 31 we showed pictures of a Painted Lady chrysalis that Jochen Möhr found hanging from a garden tool.  Jochen asked me (Jeremy Tatum) when the adult butterfly would emerge, and I think I replied something to the effect that it would emerge as soon as he stopped looking at it.  Jochen took up the challenge and engaged in a three-day staring match with the butterfly – and he won!  After three days the butterfly gave up and emerged while Jochen was still there ready with his camera.  Jochen’s patience was rewarded with a fine sequence of photographs showing the increase in colour of the chrysalis, culminating in the final miracle of the emergence of the butterfly.

 

3 days before eclosion (emergence)

 

 

1 day before emergence

 

 

19 hours before emergence

 

12 hours before emergence

 

 

 

 

5 hours before emergence

 

 

1 hour 20 minutes before emergence

20 minutes before emergence

 

 

Starting to emerge

 

 

 

Nearly out

 

10 minutes after emergence, its wings expanded but still limp

   Jochen noted that the haustellum (proboscis) was initially made of two semicylindrical tubes (see penultimate photograph) which then have to be zipped together to form a single cylindrical tube, which the butterfly then coils into a tight spiral (last photograph).  Jochen also noticed that the newly-emerged butterfly emitted a red fluid (meconium), consisting of waste matter accumulated by the caterpillar.

More this afternoon or evening…