Please celebrate the arrival of Flying J!
Born at sunrise on Wednesday and released in the late afternoon.
Weight: .03 grams
Wingspan: 4 inches
For more on his personal story, read Saving Flying J.
Below is a summary of his journey over the past several months.
This is Flying J preparing to be released on the day he was born.
This is him resting on a River Birch near his sanctuary before starting his adult journey.
Pictured here is Flying J's elegant "proboscis." That's the long, tube-like appendage that's found at a butterfly's head. They use it to sip nectar, water and sap, which they typically find in gardens, fields and pond areas. The proboscis uncoils when they're ready to feed, then coils up again when not in use.
There are about 550 species of Swallowtails in the world. They are known for their large wingspan and colorful wings. Swallowtail as a name for this species comes from the tail-like extensions on their hind wings.
Revisiting Flying J's Metamorphosis
There are 4 stages to a butterfly's life.
The Egg Stage
The first one is the egg stage. A butterfly will lay an egg on a host plant. Flying J was such an egg. His host plant was organic dill in our garden. His parents were Black Swallowtails.
The Caterpillar Stage
The egg hatches and turns into a tiny caterpillar. The host plant becomes the caterpillar's food source. In the caterpillar and transition stages below, I had to make sure Flying J was safe from predators.
Flying J as a baby.
Flying J about a week and a half later. (He grew up fast.)
Flying J's sanctuary – a netted terrarium I ordered online to provide him with a safe habitat.
When Flying J was fed up with being a caterpillar (he ate a lot of dill), it took him two days of rest in the corner of his terrarium before beginning his transition stage. This is the process a caterpillar takes to become a butterfly.
The Chrysalis Stage
Flying J was a 2 inch long caterpillar at full length before becoming the beautiful chrysalis pictured above.
The transition took about 10 days in Flying J's case. A lot of changes happen inside the chrysalis during this stage of development. If you look closely, you'll see movement. Initially, the chrysalis is soft, but as the days go on, it hardens and changes colors. Shapes within it such as the future wings become more recognizable towards the end of this stage.
The Adult Stage
The adult stage begins when the butterfly emerges from the pupa. In Flying J's case, this happened in the early hours of the morning.
A newborn butterfly's wings are wet and need around 30 minutes to 2 hours to fully dry. Because the life expectancy of a butterfly is anywhere between 5-12 days, I was eager to help Flying J get started with his life. The River Birch video above is him testing his wings 4 hours after birth.
More information on the Black Swallowtail can be found at Texas A&M Agrilife Extension: https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/lepidoptera/black-swallowtail/
Bobik proudly poses near Flying J's crib. He loves butterflies.
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