Finally a Butterfly has hatched! But which one...

March 21, 2009
Today Caterpillar 3 after being jammed into a cosy little Chryalis has completed the metamophris into becoming a butterfly. It took only about 90 seconds for "her" to get out. Her? Yep its a her as you can tell the gender by the bottom wings as the males will have a large black spot in the middle and the females wont. When she came out her body was puffed up and her wings were all crumpled this is because when a butterfly first comes outside its Chryalis they there bodies are filled with fluid which they then pump into there wings and sort of inflate them. At first she was very wobbly attempting to fly but soon caught the hang of it. After a while we come up for a name for her, Flutterella!
P.S. Im not coming online to blog about my Caterpillars for a while as theres not really much more to a Caterpillar/Butterflys life than whats you have so far witnessed.
 

Good and Bad news...

March 19, 2009

Bad News: On the three unplanted Swan Plants there was only one Caterpillar left and a praying mantis DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN!!!! But it thankfull left the Caterpillars on the planted swan plant.
Good News: Ive brough my old empty fish tank inside, cleaned it up (with nothing that could be dangerous to the Caterpillars) and filled the bottom with soil and then a layer of leaves from the Swan Plant, as well a small branch from the plant too. This will mean that when the Butterflys lay there eggs on ...


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More guests on the Swan Plant...

March 18, 2009
Today we have been visited by two praying mantis's on our Swan plants, but there seems to be some Caterpillars missing... Could these praying mantis's be the problem? Truth is that praying mantis's eat Caterpillars GASP ! HORROR! SHOCK! Weve moved the praying mantis's as far away from the swan plants as possiable and we are hoping to find some way that we can bring the already formed caterpillars inside while butterlfys lay more eggs. Below shows the pictures of the praying mantis's.

come wat...
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What pillar doesn't need holding up?...

March 17, 2009

A Caterpillar!

Today was a beautiful Autumn day with no wind but lots of sun. Another butterfly has laid more eggs on the swan plants under the watchful eye of the neighbours cat. Caterpillar 3 which has been inside for the last week has started to become darker with black patches as seen in the photo below. Our first swan plant if not already mentioned is in the middle of our veggie garden, we are trying to keep it organic and so today we sprayed it with garlic and pyrethrum to keep the bu...


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More baby Caterpillars

March 16, 2009
We've been having a whole bunch of Monarch butterflys coming to lay there eggs on our swan plants, as seen in the above video (note this butterfly isnt ours just a visitor). Below shows some of the new caterpillars muching away and one of the butterflys which has today layed some eggs on our plants as well and drinking the nector form the flowers.




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Waitng, Waiting, Waiting...

March 15, 2009


Yet again we are still waiting....


Left: Caterpillar One, Middle: Caterpillar two, Right: Caterpillar three


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Still Waiting...

March 12, 2009
Below: Caterpillar one before and today


Below: Caterpillar two before and today


Below: Caterpillar three before and today


More to some watch this space.
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Waiting...

March 11, 2009
Jeesh will these things ever hatch? There currently much darker then when they started and should hatch soon if... they hang on to the leaves there situated on during all this windy and rainy weatehr where expirencing in Auckland.
More to come watch this space.
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Chryalis's still on there way

March 10, 2009
After checking this morning the Chryalis's are still green but everso darker than yesterday. After a few more days they should hatch into butterflys and start laying eggs on the three new swan plants which we have recently purcased.
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Three Chryalis's on there way

March 9, 2009


Above: Caterpillar three

Above: Caterpillar two, first day of Chryalis

Above: Caterpillar One
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