Butterfly Precursors

A milkweed plant.

Today I noticed a smattering of milkweed plants growing in a pasture. Ever since I was young, the sight of milkweed plants brings to mind tiger swallowtail butterflies because milkweed is a plant their caterpillars use for feed and onto which a butterfly-to-be will often attach its chrysalis. (Once I learned this about the plant, tiger swallowtails became my first mental association with it--and the bursting-open dried milkweed pods that release seeds floating on silky umbrellas became only a second association.)

A caterpillar-sculpted milkweed plant.

The next time I happened through that section of land, I looked more closely and noticed that one of the plants already had scoop-sculpted leaves--a telltale sign of the plant being used for food. Stepping closer, I spotted two fat and sassy caterpillars feeding voraciously upon the quickly-disappearing plant. Of course, my camera was not in my pocket--where in belonged--but somewhere else.

A caterpillar feasts on milkweed.

By the time I worked my way back to the plant with camera in hand, later in the day, I could only spot one caterpillar waiting to pose for photographs. And there he is! (Above: orange arrow points to caterpillar on the underside of a milkweed leaf.)

May 10th: Nine days later, this caterpillar prepares to metamorphose into a chrysalis.