Archive for May 6th, 2009
Large Citrus Butterfly
I liked the wrapping paper effect the fence created in the background.
This large butterfly was laying eggs on the same orange tree as a smaller swallowtail, the Dingy/Dainty swallowtail, on the day I took this shot. We took some eggs, an advanced caterpillar, and a chrysalis made that day.
I would like to see one of these emerging, but this species is prone to attack by a nasty little fly. The fly will lay eggs on the grub, or on the leaves that the caterpillar then eats. The caterpillar will appear fine, even turn into a chrysalis, but the fly lavae will have been eating away at the non-essential elements of the caterpillars insides. Once in the chrysalis stage, the fly lavae (disgusting little things) then eat up the poor caterpillar and instead of a glorious butterfly, you find yourself with a huddle of ugly imposters.
