A Passionflower Promise

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sionflower vine leaves. The eggs hatch into caterpillars. We often have the Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary butterflies flying around the vine and frequently find eggs and tiny newly hatched caterpillars on the leaves. Both types of caterpillars only eat the passionflower vine leaves and no other leaves. The tiny caterpillars eat and grow and eat and grow, shedding their skin as they outgrow it. As they “eat and grow”, they are devouring the passionflower vine leaves, so we need a lot of leaves to keep them well fed and growing.</p><p id="53d6">At some point, the caterpillars reach their maximum size and crawl off the passionflower vine to find a safe spot to metamorphose into a chrysalis. We have watched this process many times. It is fascinating to see the caterpillar skin split open and the chrysalis emerge. Then we wait. The butterfly forms within the chrysalis during the next 10–14 days. Finally, the chrysalis splits open and the newly formed butterfly emerges.</p><p id="b861">It is always interesting to step into the backyard butterfly garden to see what type of butterfly is fluttering around and to see where the caterpillars are growing. Metamorphos

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is, what an incredible transformation from butterfly to egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to new butterfly. We love them in all their shapes, sizes, colors, and forms.</p><figure id="310b"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*MFqDdMB7ct8sFfLuFM1UVA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="233a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*u17QQ0WDwFvAFNBtOVrTVQ.jpeg"><figcaption>Butterfly Metamorphosis Photos by <a href="undefined">Rhonda Carrier</a></figcaption></figure><p id="54d1">You can read more about our butterflies and other nature in our backyard on my blog:</p><div id="82a2" class="link-block"> <a href="https://backyard-biology.com"> <div> <div> <h2>Backyard Biology</h2> <div><h3>Nature in our Backyard and Beyond</h3></div> <div><p>backyard-biology.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*RBk7KNJys42cyne_)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

A promise of life and transformation.

Purple Passionflower (Photo by Rhonda Carrier)

While I was traveling away from my garden this summer, the passionflower vine was traveling also. It had been planted in a large container several yards from where this flower is blooming now. The plant took root in the ground and then the vine grew over a nearby fence and through and over the surrounding plants. It is a beautiful flower, but I didn’t purchase and plant the passionflower for its beautiful flowers. I planted it for its leaves, and that is why I have left the vine to grow and flourish in the Florida summer sunshine since I’ve been home. I let it grow because it is a promise of life for the caterpillars in the backyard garden. The more leaves there are, the better chance the caterpillars have to survive.

Both the Zebra Longwing and the Gulf Fritillary butterflies only lay their eggs on the passionflower vine leaves. The eggs hatch into caterpillars. We often have the Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary butterflies flying around the vine and frequently find eggs and tiny newly hatched caterpillars on the leaves. Both types of caterpillars only eat the passionflower vine leaves and no other leaves. The tiny caterpillars eat and grow and eat and grow, shedding their skin as they outgrow it. As they “eat and grow”, they are devouring the passionflower vine leaves, so we need a lot of leaves to keep them well fed and growing.

At some point, the caterpillars reach their maximum size and crawl off the passionflower vine to find a safe spot to metamorphose into a chrysalis. We have watched this process many times. It is fascinating to see the caterpillar skin split open and the chrysalis emerge. Then we wait. The butterfly forms within the chrysalis during the next 10–14 days. Finally, the chrysalis splits open and the newly formed butterfly emerges.

It is always interesting to step into the backyard butterfly garden to see what type of butterfly is fluttering around and to see where the caterpillars are growing. Metamorphosis, what an incredible transformation from butterfly to egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to new butterfly. We love them in all their shapes, sizes, colors, and forms.

Butterfly Metamorphosis Photos by Rhonda Carrier

You can read more about our butterflies and other nature in our backyard on my blog: