Common Jezebel Eclosion

Watching the eclosion of Plain Tiger Butterfly is still fresh in mind.  

I happened to notice a caterpillar on the compound wall close to the Fiddlewood Tree. This was on 11th December.

It was not moving.  Next day, I saw it still in the same position, but it seemed to be sticking silk at its rear end, which I felt was upside down.  So with the knowledge given by my Mexico-living friend, Beverly, I now knew it was preparing itself for making its chrysalis.

  

 On 13th December morning I rushed to see how it was.  Lo, it had already made a chrysalis. It was still settling itself in, making itself comfortable, just like we settle in our bed covering with a rug in winter!! It had made just a few minutes ago, or so I felt. 

On 14th morning again, I checked.  It had settled nicely.  Since I had spotted the empty chrysalis of the Common Jezebel recently, I guessed this was also a caterpillar of the Jezebel.

The chrysalis was just below the corniced top of the compound wall. I felt a need to give some protection from the birds as it was prominent.  I had hung up a cloth covering shielding its view. I kept a watch every day.  On 22nd December evening, I checked for any change in colour.  There was a hint which meant that eclosion would be very very soon.  Beverly had written it would be about 7 days.

Today, 23rd December, first thing in the morning, I went to see. There were wing patterns visible through the now transparent chrysalis.  

I was worried about its upside down position.  So I removed it carefully and hung it with a thread. 

Since it was 8.40 am it was late.   So I rushed in for my quick ablutions. When I was about to leave for work, I saw that it had already showing its wings!!  I rushed in again to take a picture and ran in to keep the camera back in.  I buttoned my shirt while leaving in a hurry!  I was yet again, Dagwood Bumstead. 

My guess was on dot.  It is indeed a Common Jezebel.  

There was the second one below the compound cornice again.  Yesterday I knew it would emerge today.  It was in its chrysalis on 21st December morning.  Today, 24th, it emerged.  Just 4 days.  Cool temperatures. I was there as if waiting for the moment. 8.10 am.  Hand held, I shot a series of pictures at intervals for about 15 minutes and then went for breakfast.  See the "slideo" - this is another new word I coined just now!! Howzzat?  See: [Click}

My tying with the thread was perhaps needless, because this one came out from the horizontal position quite smoothly.

There was a third chrysalis close by.  Pictured this on 17th December. It was fresh and fine.

Look at its fate this evening when I went to check.  It was fine and still green in the morning.  Ants had attacked it. It should have emerged soon, see its colouring.  So with that, one beauty less in nature, but that is part of Nature.

Common Jezebel Butterfly

I was familiar with the Common Jezebel since a few years.   When it flutters high near the tiny flowers up on our tall Fiddlewood Tree, I can recognize this.  It neither comes down much nor sits anywhere on smaller flowering plants closer to the ground, at least as far as I have observed in the last 5-6 years.  So I had to content with long shots.

Remember to click on pictures to get enlarged views.

This was really high up, zoomed to the camera's max.  So is the picture below.  Both shots of Fiddlewood flowers.  They love its nectar and the flowers are very fragrant.

On 23.11.2007, I saw one just above my eye level resting on a big leaf of the Almond Tree.  This was the first time I was getting a close look. And I had the camera on hand.  Slowly, slowly I approached it closer.  It stayed still.  I was like a thief looking to rob some macro photo-shoots!   I kept clicking lest it should fly, until my camera lens was as close as two inches!   I wondered why it was so still!  A little while later, I guessed that it must have become a butterfly just then after I saw [by enlarging the shot I took up close, on camera playback] the fresh matt-finish wings getting to dry.  This was the shot.

I had shared with Dave's Garden one more shot that I cropped, showing only the wing colours and pattern.  A friend, very impressed, by name Nancy saw my posting.   Soon, I was sending her a couple of good resolution photos because she wanted to use one of the pictures as a special greeting card.  She was kind enough to print and send me 4 of them with different colour backgrounds. Here is one:

This post is dedicated to Nancy Polanski, because the Common Jezebel always reminds me of her beautiful gesture and greeting card.  

Let us come to the present now.

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Four days ago, i.e., on the morning of 21.11.2013, I went to the stone bench beside the pond, with coffee in hand as is my wont,.  This magnificent butterfly was on the leaf of Jaquemontia growing on the arch next to the pond.  As I sat, it was in level to my shoulder.  So I now knew - from the Plain Tiger experience - that this was another newly emerged butterfly if it were to sit still like that and that too so near to ground level.  This time, I had to run in and return with the camera.  What followed for the next 45 minutes was joy.  My coffee got cold mid way.  

This was where I spotted it.

There was one empty chrysalis seen towards the left here but that was of the Plain Tiger. I was to discover its chrysalis the next day. I wanted to have close shots but there were shadows where it was. So I held a dry leaf at its feet.  It crawled up on it.  I carried it slowly and held it up in sunlight.  I allowed it to crawl on to an Agave leaf.  But it could not hold on.  It fell down from there after I took a few quick shots.  I suddenly remembered Beverly [from the post on Plain Tiger].  She had written that these will need to 'hang' down in which position fluid from the abdomen runs freely into the wings and make it rigid for flight.   I also observed later that its feet are hook-like at the tip to enable them to hang and grip. 

I now had brought out the Canon with the 250mm lens also, to get a few shots with a background like this:

I picked the fallen Jezebel with my finger.  It crawled up and then transferred to a blade of grass. 

I took a macro shot of its face also, with the camera lens almost touching the antenna.

I took shots in all sort of lighting while I made sure it stayed face up.  It flew and sat on the gate as if to test its wings.

Newly painted gate, retains its sheen!

Picked it up on the grass again.  This time, for a back-lit shot of the wing, held against the sun.

Newly opened wings will appear like freshly pressed shirts opened from its folded state and will have pronounced mat finish.  The latter is not noticeable to the naked eye.   Thanks to technology we are able to see so much beyond the eye's ability.  So do not forget to click on the picture below.

I wished it good luck and good bye and went my way, leaving it safe and comfortable on some plant.

Next morning, I went back to the place where I had found it, in search of its empty chrysalis.  There it was, just where it lay hung.  It was beneath the leaf.  Before that, I had googled to see how it looked.  So I had an idea. Here it is:

Thank you Nancy and Beverly.