The orange barred sulphurs were busy in the garden today. My Bahama cassia now has an abundance of eggs.
It’s rare I can capture this beauty with its wings open, let alone depositing eggs on the leaves, as it is such a fast flyer.
Have you ever witnessed an orange barred sulphur create its chrysalis?
I am happy to say I finally was able to witness the transformation, not once, but twice on the same day. I always take one last peek into the butterfly house after I walk my dog the final time at night. Well, it completely paid off this time! I always wondered when the magic happened as the last peek at night the caterpillars were still hanging by their silk girdle, and the morning the gorgeous green, sometimes pinkish, chrysalis would be complete.
I have to say the silk girdle is no joke. It has incredible strength as the caterpillar moved in all directions possible as the chrysalis slowly spread the length of the caterpillar’s body. The first chrysalis I recorded, and the second one I captured through photographs. In a matter of minutes the chrysalis was complete. I of course stopped taking pictures as the wiggling slowed, so in this series I do not have a photograph of what the final chrysalis looks like.
It just goes to show what you can witness when you slow down enough . . . nature is incredible.
The orange barred sulphur caterpillars are so hard to spot in the Bahama Cassia tree. They really blend in with the leaves, so often times I don’t see them until they have reached the last instar.
The sulphur butterflies are truly among some of my favorite butterflies. Their brilliant yellow is pure sunshine fluttering about the garden. This one emerged in our butterfly house today. Once it fluttered off my hand I was mesmerized by the orange on its wings.
The sulphur caterpillars are excellent at camouflaging themselves among the Bahama Cassia tree, especially now with the beautiful yellow flowers opening all over the tree.
The orange barred sulphurs have been frequent visitors of the garden, which I truly love due to their magnificent yellow fluttering about.
