Subscribe for more video
[ Ссылка ]
Check out all our video on Butterflies, Moths, and Nature
On July 16, I came across a gulf fritillary caterpillar crawling along a fence.
Gulf fritillaries are also known as the "passion butterfly" because they lay eggs on a vine called the passion vine and that's what the caterpillars feed on. But thankfully this caterpillar already had 2 white spots on the side of it, indicating it was trying to find a place to turn into a chrysalis. So I didn't need any leaves, all I needed was a stick! I picked up a stick and put the caterpillar on it. When I put the stick inti the enclosure, the caterpillar moved around fast and even got off the stick a few times. I thought he would make his silk at the top and pupate there so I couldn't record it. Thankfully he got back onto the stick and made his silk. Then we stopped and went to the grocery store. When I came back I was surprised to see that he had already attached to the silk! He let go and hung upside down in a J. When we came back home he had still not pupated, but they usually take a few hours to do so. I just had to wait. Then early in the morning while I still was asleep, the amazing moment happened: the caterpillar skin split open and a soft, white and orange chrysalis emerged! Then the chrysalis hardened and changed shape and color! It's amazing how the chrysalis changes its shape and I even made a timelapse of it!
#caterpillars #butterflies #gulffritillary
One week after pupation, the chrysalis became transparent, showing the beautiful bright orange wings of the butterfly that was dormant inside of the chrysalis. But he wouldn't be dormant for long. Soon the chrysalis shell cracked open and a beautiful male gulf fritillary hatched out! He dried his wings and was soon ready to fly. I held him in my hand with a caterpillar from my backyard passion vine (the butterflies are now laying eggs on it)!
The caterpillar will soon become a beautiful adult gulf fritillary too! The next day, I released the male gulf fritillary into the backyard. I hoped he would at least visit the garden flowers and get his first drink of nectar, but instead he flew right away and left without even thinking about visiting the garden plants!
6 days after his release, a male gulf fritillary visited the garden! Maybe it's the same butterfly I released? There's many other gulf fritillary butterflies out there so there's so way to know for sure, but it's fun to think it's him!
Thanks for watching. Don't forget to like👍, subscribe, and hit the notification bell 🔔!
00:00 - 1:38 gulf fritillary caterpillar ready to pupate found on fence
1:39 - 7:58 caterpillar makes its silk dot
7:59 - 11:54 caterpillar attached to silk, lets go and hangs in a J
11:55 - 17:40 THE AMAZING PROCESS OF PUPATION
17:41 - 21:13 CHRYSALIS CHANGES SHAPE AND COLOR
21:14 - 21:57 chrysalis finished changing shape and color and must be sprayed everyday
21:58 - 22:34 CHRYSALIS SHOWS TRANSPARENCY AS IT PREPARES TO HATCH
22:35 - 25:49 THE BUTTERFLY EMERGES
25:50 - 26:47 butterfly pumps hemolymph (insect blood) into his wings to dry and expand them
26:48 - 27:46 the Gulf fritillary, a truly beautiful American butterfly
27:48 - 28:18 gulf fritillary caterpillar and butterfly
28:19 - 29:29 RELEASE DAY
29:30 - 31:32 male gulf fritillary visits on August 2nd(is it the butterfly I released?)
31:33 - 32:25 outro
