When was the last time a butterfly rested on you?
This question implicitly conveys the amount of trust an insect could possibly have on a human being. Besides, this question is quite old fashioned where as the right question should be
When was the last time you saw a butterfly? wait a sec… I have a better question.
When was the last time you NOTICED a butterfly?
In the race against time, we tend to run behind happiness, money, promotions, emotions, etc. These tiny butterflies fail to draw our attention at times, especially if you are not looking for them. To be honest, I haven’t noticed their existence until some days ago. These adorable creatures are commonly found in decent dense vegetation present in your locality. There are artificial Butterfly Parks (seasonal of course), built in many Zoological Parks & Sanctuaries and then there are forests where you can find these among other creatures that can crawl, climb and cuddle.
The life cycle of a butterfly is quite amazing. Obviously all of us would have studied this in school but have you ever seen each stage physically? If you look into the right places, you will be amazed to find what the nature has been hiding from you. This article conveys four casual facts that I have observed while raising a butterfly 😛
1. A female butterfly lays eggs in multiples of hundreds.
Wow! It’s not like a pile but the eggs are laid in batches / clusters. Unfortunately, not all the eggs hatch. Some eggs are eaten by other insects and some are just carried away by rain/heat/wind. The large number of eggs is just a redundancy in bringing forth the next generation of butterflies.
2. A caterpillar is more than just legs and stomach.
The most common misconception is that the only duty of a caterpillar is to eat. Not really, I mean.. how does a caterpillar know to hang upside down on a branch while preparing for a long nap. Is that knowledge transferred genetically? Also the sticky gum that it generates is strong enough to hold its weight till it becomes a butterfly. Once the caterpillar has settled in, the process starts.
3. The Patient Pupa
In few days, the caterpillar sheds its skin (along with legs) leaving behind a dormant hanging cocoon a.k.a pupa. It is hard to notice any difference as the days progress. But there are a million changes happening inside the pupa. These changes include formation of colourful wings, legs, 17000 lens in each eye, etc. All these changes occur rapidly. I had the opportunity to observe the cocoon of Tawney Coaster butterfly. The pupa of this species takes 8 days to emerge as a butterfly. The head portion of the pupa darkens and the tail portion becomes more transparent as the days pass.
Oh! I almost forgot! Pupa is one of the favourites of ants. And ants aren’t good swimmers! I hope you are smart enough to find a solution from the above facts.
4. Flight is its Power
In dawn, the young Tawney Coster took its first breath as a fully grown butterfly. It can be related to the upbringing of a baby. Like a baby, the young butterfly was confused, slow, trying to straighten its wings that remained folded inside the cocoon all this time.
It was steady and still, trying its best to feel the surface thoroughly. Its wings are so delicate & presence unfelt. Brushing against it is like moving your fingers in thin air. It flapped its wings once or twice not knowing what to do with them.
In an attempt to remove the skin of cocoon, I accidentally dropped the stick on which the butterfly was resting. While the stick was falling, my heart skipped a beat; I could listen to all the suspense background music created by Hans Zimmer; even the second hand of the clock froze. What have I done? Did I just drop a delicate baby butterfly that wasn’t even prepared to fly!
At this very moment, it flapped its wings multiple times. The fear of fall might have triggered some genes. Like a pro, it took its maiden flight. <A big sigh> That almost gave me a minor stroke. Flight is its power indeed. It slowly flew across the bushes to rest on a flower.
It was a wonderful experience. It inculcates patience and gives you that peculiar feel of happiness when the butterfly takes its maiden flight into its home world.
Until next time, see ya!
:origin()/pre00/6c62/th/pre/f/2013/192/3/a/the_road_not_taken_by_mizuki06-d6d2ux9.jpg)
Aravind's Blog! 