Hey guys, I'll probably be updating a lot less during the next week or so because of my finals... its a little bit daunting if you think about it, one paper and I'm officially DONE with Monash University Forever... unless I do end up doing my Honours or something though I haven't really thought about what my Honours dissertation should be about, but that's a worry for another day. For now, its reading up on Media Texts and tending to my butterfly enclosure. I've got a new Butterfly House installed and a few artworks that I plan to showcase in my next update but until then, enjoy the following pictures, a photographic sequence I made (back in the days when I still used jars instead of enclosures) of a caterpillar (P. Demoleus) as it goes through its final moult and transforms into a chrysalis. This was actually quite gross to watch, especially in the early stages when the caterpillar's skin came off! Everything looked raw and wet and bloody!
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The caterpillar first strung itself up, after that
it stayed really still. About 24 hours later its skin
started turning transparrent. |
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The caterpillar then starts moving for the first time
in many hours. Slowly the skin begins to split at the
top of its head |
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The caterpillar whips its body violently side to side.
Eventually the skin peels away entirely from its body
revealing the soft and raw chrysalis underneat. *you can see
the developeing wing flaps of the butterfly still loose and
independant of the body. |
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Gradually the caterpillar stops moving. It twitches
occasionally but the movements get less and less. |
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Finally the caterpillar's body dries up, the developing
wing flaps stick to the body and the outer shell of
the chrysalis develops. Inside, the insect's cells are
breaking down into a soup, which will eventually
reshape into the body of a butterfly.
and the |
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Approximately two weeks later. The butterfly has
almost fully developed within. Its wings, as you can
see are now visible from within the chrysalis. In
a few more days the chrysalis will split open and...
well you know the rest. |
To those of you sitting for your exams, ALL THE BEST! To everyone else, till we meet again.
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