For some time now I have been breeding butterflies. Now that is a big word, because besides providing fresh food, hygiene and oxygen, the animal does everything itself.
It usually starts with finding caterpillars that I then take with me. Occasionally I started with eggs, but then it is of course important that you know which species you are dealing with. This in connection with the food choice. However, the plant on which the eggs are found is also usually the food plant. If the caterpillar is fully grown after weeks of eating, all that remains is to ensure that there is something available for the caterpillar to pupate on ór in.
Often these are moths, but a species that was high on the list to also grow once is the Orange Tip, Anthocharis cardamines. Besides the fact that the butterfly is beautiful to see, the cocoon also has a special shape. And it is also attached to a twig in a very special way. First, a kind of anvil is made on the branch where the caterpillar with the retractors rests on. These are the last legs on the back. Then the caterpillar makes two threads and attaches it around his / her “waist”. It is a somewhat plastic description of how the caterpillar manufactures something so that it can hang on the branch, … and that for about ten months!
With this specimen, the entire process ultimately took about thirty nine hours. Quite long for when you are in a vulnerable position!
At the end of the entire period, when the butterfly is about to hatch, the pupa becomes transparent. You can already see whether it will be a male or a female. In the male, the large orange wing spot is already clearly visible.
Fortunately, this caterpillar chose a moment when I was free of work so I was able to eyewitness the pupation process. Hopefully that will get a sequel when the hatching of the butterfly takes place, but I’m not counting on that.