Time for a change

[mjs1973]

I used the time laps video feature of the Canon G9 to make this video of a monarch caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis. It actually happens much faster than I imagined.

[Eric D]

Very nice...well done!

[Frog]

We all know it happens but how many have actually watched it happen?
I wonder why the one in the background is so slow.

I also found it fascinating to wonder what's going on in there after the chrysalis is formed and there's all that movement going on.

Are you going to be able to catch it when it emerges?

[mjs1973]

Thanks for looking Eric and Frog.

Frog, the ones in the back were not quite ready to change when the first one did. One thing I noticed about these guys is that one of the first signs that they are about to change is that their antena shrivel up. You can't tell from this video but the ones in the back have not done that yet. Once they do, it's only a matter of minutes before they shed their skin.

I do have another video of one of the other ones changing that is a little clearer. I took it out of the aquarium it was in so I wasn't shooting through dirty glass.

I'm going to try to catch them when they emerge. I missed the last two I was watching. One came out at night, the other while I was at work.

I have these three inside under controlled conditions and two more outside that I'm watching. If they come out during the week when I'm at work, I might not be able to catch them. My G9 will only shoot a time laps for about 2 hours so I can't leave it run all day while at work. I could set up a DSLR and have it take a series of photos throughout the day but that is a LOT of shutter actuations that I'm not sure I want to risk damaging my camera.

Time will tell...

[Frog]

Probably no way to know when its going to start either and I don't blame you not wanting to run your slr all day.
I hope you can catch them.
You're probably too honest to take a sick day.

[mjs1973]

Probably no way to know when its going to start either and I don't blame you not wanting to run your slr all day.
I hope you can catch them.
You're probably too honest to take a sick day.

The chrysalis will start to change color when they are about to emerge. They get darker and eventually turn black. From what I observed with the two that emerged last week was that the timing was very different. One was green when I went to bed at 10:00, and had emerged by the time I checked it the next morning at 6:00. The other one seemed like it took a much longer. I noticed it getting darker around mid day on a Sunday. I was able to keep an eye on it for several hours but eventually had to leave and didn't get home till after dark. It had still not emerged the following morning. I set up the time laps around 6:00 the next morning and went to work. By the time the camera stopped filming around 8:00 it had still not emerged.

So it seemed like one was able to complete it's change within about 8 hours, the other within about 24... I wonder if the temperature/weather conditions play a part in that. The one that went really fast was inside, in a controlled environment, the other was outside. With 5 chrysalis's to watch, I'm hoping I get to see at least 1 emerge!

As far as skipping work, I'm not against that, especially now that my company changed their vacation payout policy.

[Loupey]

This is wonderful, Mike!

I too had no idea that the chrysalis was so flexible and dynamic (in the early stages at least). I always thought that they were rigid and static.

I hope you will be able to get the emergence sequence. That would be a great part 2 to complement this one.

[mjs1973]

Here are a couple pics I took last week before this one emerged. Notice how the chrysalis turns black and you can start to make out the wings of the butterfly inside. In these images the top of they chrysalis hasn't turned black yet.

[AgingEyes]

This is awesome, Mike ! Make me wants to try some time lapse video myself

Thank you for sharing !!

[mjs1973]

Thanks AE.

I have been keeping an eye on the caterpillars in the flower bed and I'm now up to 6 1/2 chrysalis's that I'm watching. How do I get a 1/2 chrysalis you ask? I found a caterpillar this morning that is hanging upside down in a J shape. It hasn't started to change yet, but it will most likely be a chrysalis by the time I get home from work.

[Singletracklovr]

Wow, what a cool video. I always wondered how they did that. Thanks Mike

[mjs1973]

Thanks Bob. Me too. I always thought they spun the chrysalis out of silk or something. After seeing this I can see that they are basically shedding their skin.

[paulnj]

That was awesome !!!!

[SmartWombat]

Another awesome, but gruesome, would be a parasitic wasp leaving the caterpillar.
I never managed to see it happen, but often among 20-30 pupating Tortoiseshell butterfly caterpillars there would be one that made the "J" shape but never pupated.
Next morning there'd be a pair of rugby ball shaped white & black cocoons next to the dead caterpillar where the fly larvae had exited and pupated themselves.

[mjs1973]

All three of the chrysalises I had in the aquarium emerged while I was at work yesterday. They were all black when I left for work, so I started the camera before I hit the road. Knowing the camera would shut off in 2 hours, I called home and had my wife start it over before she left. Shortly before the time ran out, all three emerged. I wish I could have seen it in person, but for now, this time lapse will have to do. Still have a few more in the lower bed I have been keeping an eye on.

[Singletracklovr]

Hi Mike,
That is awesome. Thanks for sharing it.

[mjs1973]

Thanks for looking Bob. If I can find the time, I'm going to try to combine both of these videos along with some still photos into one complete video/slide show.