That Which Remains

It’s been a little over a week since Ziltoidia departed for ports south. The weather has taken a decided dip into chilly since then, but I’m hoping Zilty has managed to make it far enough south that she’s out of the 50°F range we’re stuck in at the moment.

I did a bit of house cleaning with my unexpected day off, in anticipation of company this Friday. I’ve neglected to mention it, but The Prof and I have arranged for refinancing of the condo, taking advantage of the lower interest rates now available. Settlement is Friday evening, at our home (convenient, n’est pas?) and I’d rather not have the place in such a state that the mortgage company has second thoughts about the loan at the last minute.

Part of the cleaning included reclaiming my glass bowl that had been used to house caterpillar Ziltoid and chrysalis Ziltoid. Before cleaning the bowl, I nudged the empty chrysalis along with some of the webbing off the side; the caterpillar silk held onto the glass tenaciously, making me feel rather silly about worrying if Ziltoid had secured herself firmly enough. I set the shell aside and washed out the bowl with hot water, making the surprising discovery that brown/black caterpillar turds reconstitute into an electric green when immersed in water.

Yeah, I know. Some information was not meant to be shared.

I took a series of pictures of the chrysalis skin afterward. They turned out nicely, showing a lot of detail that my bifocal-ed aging eyes wouldn’t have been able to make out otherwise.

Here’s the empty chrysalis. The gold spots have lost most, but not all of their glow, and if you look closely you can still see the remains of the golden dots at the bottom of the chrysalis.

The next shot is of the other side of the chrysalis. Again, you can still make out hints of gold at the dark band along the top of the chrysalis. The entire chrysalis is about an inch long, just so you have some perspective.

While I posted an annotated picture of this with Waldoette last year, it was easier this year to get a picture of the cremaster and grasping buttons on the empty chrysalis. The grasping buttons are what the caterpillar/chrysalis first holds on with during the final part of the shed, just before the cremaster is extended and latches on, Velcro-like, to the silk button the caterpillar created just before beginning to shed. The grasping buttons appear smooth, which may explain why this is the most dangerous part of the transformation process for the caterpillar. For an instant or two, those two tiny appendages are all that is keeping the brand-new and very soft chrysalis from slipping off it’s spot and splatting on the ground below.