Feel Good | Butterfly in making | Phone Photography-71

This is a butterfly in the making. Earlier, I wasn't aware that a butterfly goes through such a metamorphosis. My garden is full of butterflies. I can now understand where they came from in large numbers

My lemon plant, which I have grown, is being eaten up so fast by the insects and pests. This year, I didn't use pesticides because one of my friends told me that they are butterflies in making. So I kept them in observation to see how they became butterflies through complete metamorphosis.

Once the egg is laid on the eaves and hatches, the leaves become the food for these caterpillars

They keep on eating these leaves as much as they can. I can tell you that they have made my plant completely leafless. Still, I didn't use pesticides to deter them

Then once they have sufficient food in store, they get down from the plant and travel and look for a safe place where they convert themselves into a cocoon to secure themselves from predators, and as inside the cocoon, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis.

These caterpillars use some kind of liquid-like thing to hang themselves from a ceiling or even on a vertical surface, and they keep on pressing themselves to convert themselves into a cocoon ike this.

I don't have any idea how long they are remaining inside this cocoon and transforming themselves into a full-grown butterfly, and once they are developed into a butterfly, they pop up and fly and start pollinating my garden, definitely they beautify my garden.

I feel guilty now that in the previous year I used pesticides to protect my lemon plant, and in that process I killed many caterpillars, potentially the butterflies.

Anyway, I have seen this transformation now through complete metamorphosis. Nature is truly amazing; we just need to be mindful observers to experience the different stages and metamorphosis of different species, particularly different types of flies.

To be continued.........

Thank you.
🙏🙏🙏

Detailed Info	Description
Device	Redmi 7, Xiomi
Location	Bargarh, Odisha, India

This is my entry to Phonography Contest- 71 by @untilwelearn

Thank you.

Original Photography using my Smartphone