Butterfly Hatching

We got a butterfly kit recently from www.insectlore.com and sent away for our five larvae. They ate their food, then formed chrysalides. The first two butterflies hatched while we weren't looking. I was determined to capture the emergence of butterfly number three.

Photo 1: Two have hatched, one is almost ready to hatch, and two are still percolating. Check out the wing colors clearly visible through the chrysalis!

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Photo 2: Love the iridescent colors on this one.

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Photo 3: The one we're going to focus on is shown here lying on its left side with its belly toward us. Note the color-coded diagram showing the locations of the wing, eye, legs, and antennae. (I'm no authority, so if this is critical information for you, I recommend you verify it elsewhere.)

As best I can tell, the antennae originate on top of the head and then wrap around the butterfly's body to the underside. You can see both antennae, but I only outlined the top one.

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Photos 4, 5 and 6: At this point, I could tell something was going to happen pretty soon.

• Photo 4 (left), 10:56 AM: Despite the blurry photo, you can see the distinct black color inside each segment of the abdomen.
• Photo 5 (middle), 11:49 AM: Suddenly I realized the black color in the segments was gradually disappearing. The butterfly was pulling its abdomen away from the inside of the shell, one segment at a time.
• Photo 6 (right), 12:04 PM: Fifteen minutes later, the black in the last segment is almost gone.

I did some paperwork while keeping an eye on the little guy/girl. Then I got up for a minute to get some more coffee.

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Photos 7, 8 and 9:

I return to the table with my coffee. Oh no--the shell has busted open! Gotta run and tell the kids!

I grabbed the camera in time to capture the new arrival unfurling its wings.

From left to right: 12:25:14 PM, 12:25:36 PM, and 12:27:48 PM. 

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Photo 10:

Two of the butterflies together on some clover. Depth of field is quite shallow, but the photo isn't too bad, considering I don't have a macro lens.

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