You and your dirty mind! No, I didn't have coitus with any butterfly, of course not! What were you thinking? Okay, just kidding ha ha ^ __ ^ . Here's my story. (yeah, that's my pinkie)
I was making lunch when I found this on the broccoli which was probably sitting there for days in the supermarket and two days in my fridge at that time. When I removed the plastic wrapper, it crawled so what am I supposed to do with it? It was cold outside and it was still winter so I could not really fathom the thought of it freezing. You probably have already guessed, yes, I took care of it and decided to record video logs about its metamorphosis.
HERE'S A WHOLE PLAYLIST OF ITS VIDEO LOG. Each vlog is just less than a minute don't worry it's not too long. Here's for this morning, I took his first flight or it's actually a she.
Yesterday, was the first time I know am allowed to totally sleep till past noon so I was up pretty late watching Korean dramas all dawn. My husband let me sleep in but during his coffee break, he lifted the cup and found what he thought a leaf hanging on it. He couldn't help but go to the bedroom to show me and break my deep sleep. He told me my butterfly has hatched.
I remember waking up with my mouth half open which is not a very sexy bed scene (but I must have been breathing in my mouth during my sleep again cause I always do that when in a deep sleep) and after that I only remember jumping out of the bed grabbing that cup and I didn't even get to brush my teeth first nor wash my face because I have to see!
I prepared this tomato container for when this time comes. I wasn't sure when it'd hatch and the thought of it hatching while its cold really bothers me.
What's it going to eat? I only remember that in the butterfly garden that we've often visited they feed theirs with browned bananas, oranges and honeyed water. Normally, I'd make my breakfast first and juice some veggies and fruits first but I looked for oranges. No oranges?????? How is that possible ?? Perfect timing! I only had mandarins, I peeled one and slit one open and then sliced a banana and placed them all in a tiny plate and prepared sponge in water .
Carefully, we moved it or it's more of ... we waited for it to crawl in its new container. It looks very weak and am surprised to see what looks like blood or puke on the lid close to its now abandoned cocoon. It crawled downwards and I found more orange-reddish puke or is it actually its food? You a biologist? Do tell me what that is please.
Last night, I added honey-water and a bit later... I caught it sipping on it but I wonder whether it has eaten or sipped enough cause there's no poop nor pee in its container this morning. I'm worried that its not eating enough. Sighs .. had it been better off let go when it was just a crawling juicy green tiny thing?
I let it grow to its fullest because I remember the news the whole summer and they keep saying there's very few insect in Europe these days so when I saw it on the broccoli, I really thought that's one insect to add than to throw away and that could possibly procreate and add more without knowing it'll actually hatch during the cold.
I think it must know it was officially winter a night before it hatched. I was arguing with myself whether to let it go out or not. Right now, it doesn't even fly. I placed the container on direct sunlight so it could warm and totally stretch its wings but it won't fly.
Every now and then I'd let it crawl on my pinkie to clean the plate or add some sliced fruits in there but it would just stay at the tip of my pinkie. I'd let it crawl on the wall hoping it'll spread its wings and fly but it just stayed there which is very handy for me to go on cleaning the container but that's not its nature so am starting to worry. Is this actually normal?
I remember seeing newly born butterflies hanging on their cocoon from the time we got in till the time we left the butterfly garden so I wonder if this is the same case. Anyhow, I don't mind taking care of it and I think it has a much better chance surviving in here that outside specially that they forecast a minus temp last night.
This morning, I was making the honeyed water and it went restless in the container till I covered the glass. It must have thought there were flowers around, it went crawling around its container. There's also an improvement, it finally dared take a few flights but its wings must be not warmed enough because we're cloudy today so it just sat on the wall. Worried it might get stuck in an air vent, I dipped my pinkie in that honey water and let it crawl on it and it did. With pain in my heart, I placed it back in its all cleaned up container with its food in it.
PROOF OF IMPROVEMENT
While writing this, it's holding on to the sides of the container and no longer hanging upside down. It's wings are a bit spread out now but not totally, it must be on its learning phase ... I want to let it fly outside but where? My greenhouse is literally full of greens and no strawberry in the pots are flowering which would have helped if there was any because this sort of butterflies have always visited my greenhouse on sun shiny days. Letting it out with its wings not warmed enough would make it an easy prey for the birds being unable to fly high and fast enough.
I'm waiting for the sun to shine brighter and for it to be warm for several days specially at night and I'll let it fly out hoping the birds would also leave it alone. Right now, its only chance of surviving outside is the flowering plants being sold in the stores, the crocuses in the park and the daffodils that are starting to show off their beauty on the road.
Damn .. that sounds wrong writing that but obviously it doesn't mind and its pretty clingy, too!
Perhaps because it knows my husband and I are pretty happy to have him around and with all the attention we're giving him, he probably knows he's very much loved. I can't spray disinfectant on my kitchen counter nor wear perfume while he's here. Today my husband did just that so he's not allowed anywhere near him till he takes off that sprayed knit wear! Ha ha ha ^ __ ^. Of course my husband is more important that this butterfly but hey, I really want it to survive and be able to fly away and have coitus with its kind to procreate later.
Excuse me for using the gardening tag on this one but I was hoping to get the attention of those who knows this one best - broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage farmers! you all call it pest when its on a crawling stage but look at how beautiful it actually is.
Perhaps, the next time you see them in a bunch, you could give them a chance to grow in a container and just leave a kitchen towel at the bottom, throw in a few leaves or florets, you won't have to check on 'em unless you have pets anywhere around them. Please be light at handling them though they're very very fragile that's the only work you can think of if you have a bunch but in just a few days of doing that later you'd find them hanging on top of your container lids and two weeks later, you'd see plenty of this beautiful creature hanging on top waiting for you to release them so they could pay your kindness back with pollination.
GIVE NATURE A CHANCE and you can also start it at home, in your kitchen.
I got teary eyed writing that last one .. scared of them? They probably are more - with just the sight of you. Try putting your shoes in theirs (by the way, they wear lots of shoes ahahahahaha ^ _ ^ ) - the sight of you must be a giant to them!
This content's 100% mine. I took each pic and vlog with my Samsung Galaxy A3, 2017.
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