Chrysalisation
08/16/2018
Current situation: monarch chrysalis count 16, with 2 more caterpillars in "J" position.
Plus 28 more juvenile caterpillars chomping on milkweed. And about 10 eggs incubating.
And no, the word "chrysalisation" is not in the dictionary...but it should be. What better word for the forming of chrysalises???
I'm sure not everyone is as fascinated by this as I am, but the whole process has absolutely captivated me.
And reinforced mightily what I already knew.
God certainly is mind-bogglingly detailed, the creator and sustainer of life, and the ultimate artist.
He could have made the chysalis plain and brown and functional-but-boring, but instead He chose to paint golden beads of glitter on each one.
Why be drab when you can DAZZLE?!
When the caterpillar gets about 2" long and fat, somehow God instilled into that tiny brain to crawl upwards...and slowly he makes his way up, up, up. In my case the highest he can go is to the top of the butterfly enclosure.
He weaves a strong webby (that's not in the dictionary either, but it should be...Webster???...) button and eventually attaches his tushy onto it. And starts hanging there.
In caterpillar meditation pose, contemplating his next big adventure!
And what a wild, crazy one it is! After hanging there upside down and immobile for the better part of an entire day, the caterpillar makes a miraculous transition as he literally somehow turns himself inside out with his head working its way up until that's the only part left outside.
Then, in its final act as a caterpillar, decapitates itself. Yes. It. Does.
A few more wiggly gyrations as the bright green new chrysalis finishes its formation, and then in less than 5 minutes it's over.
CRAZY!!!
Oh, but it ain't over...it's just beginning! Inside that chrysalis an even more miraculous transformation is occurring.
Over the next 10-11 days, one may think nothing is happening....
...but oh, how wrong one would be!
That chrysalis turns dark and then completely transparent, and you can see that definitely ain't no caterpillar any more!
Wow.
Just WOW!!!
God sure knows how to stun me, over and over again!
In the next 2 weeks, 18 more gorgeous monarch butterflies will be emerging at the cabin.
For them, the most amazing transformation is now underway, hidden inside those green jeweled capsules.
Truly incredible.
Chrysalisation.
Our God is pretty amazing!!
Posted by: Terri Chapman | 08/16/2018 at 10:31 AM
You might be interested in a free upcoming monarch tagging event in September. It's hosted by the Indiana Wildlife Federation and is on September 15 at 6 pm. It will be at the Urban Wilderness Trail, 250 University Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46202, meeting on the back patio of the National Institute for Fitness and Sport. They will be netting and tagging migrating monarch butterflies and reporting data to Monarch Watch as part of their monitoring program. After being tagged, they will release them back on their journey. If a tag is recovered, participants will be notified that their monarch made it to Mexico!
Posted by: Lisa Bihl | 08/16/2018 at 10:04 AM
Absolutely incredible - it turns itself inside out, decapitates itself and ends up alive and stunning. This is so amazing. Equally intriguing is how long they hang as a J. Talk about patience. I'm loving these monarch posts too!!!
Posted by: Anique Gray | 08/16/2018 at 08:08 AM