Precious Moments



The chrysalis at 10.00am in the morning, four
hours before the emergence of the butterfly

 Hey guys, I was pretty much hell-bent on capturing the moment of eclosure of my latest Citrus Swallowtail butterfly and by goodness I managed to get it. I woke up at 8.00am in the morning just to be sure (most butterflies eclose in the early hours of the day) but I guess the cool air from my air conditioning system must have hampered with the butterfly's internal timing system (butterflies are generally inactive and go into a period of stasis in the cold) because he sure took his time coming out. I decided to play the waiting game, first removing the butterfly enclosure into the Garden for sunlight and warmth, and then setting up my camera on a tripod inside the enclosure while I sat nearby with my notes and waited. Although I was expecting eclosure in a few minutes or so, it wasn't until 2pm that the chrysalis showed any signs of activity and before you know it, a new butterfly is born into this world.  As I do not have any females at the moment with which to breed him with I think I will release him into the Garden tomorrow, after I've taken some pictures and sketches for documentation purposes. Meanwhile, enjoy the following video;Truly a Precious Moment and one that even an avid butterfly breeder such as myself have only seen on occasion. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Birth of a Butterfly.