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Monday, October 26, 2009

The Orion (historis odius)

Good news! I was using the new editor in blogger and that wasn't working, so I went back to the old editor and am back in action. As they say new brooms sweep clean...but old ones know the corners.
The Orion butterfly caterpillar (historis odius)
A few weeks ago my husband spotted an Orion butterfly near the house and mentioned it to me. I replied that they must be laying their eggs on the Cercropia trees I had planted for that purpose hoping one day that would happen. So I quickly ran into the garden and looked up in the tree. Ha there were these little caterpillars munching away on the leaves. We had never seen the caterpillars before, so to make sure these were the Orion caterpillars, we clipped a leaf and placed it in a container for observation.

Like most butterfly caterpillars they tend to take on the colouring of their immediate surroundings for protection against predators.
I was rather surprised when this caterpillar turned a bright yellow, hubby thought that something was wrong.
It was getting ready to go into the chrysalis stage.
This is when it goes into the J shape and hangs. It will remain like this for 24 hrs.
The next day the chrysalis was formed. It looked like a dried leaf or a piece of twig.

The chrysalis hung there for 8 days and on the 9th day it darkened. This is usually a sign that the butterfly will soon be born. You can actually see the wings through the casing.
The next day around 9.00 am we became the proud parents of a newly born Orion !
I found this one in my garden under the cordyline leaf.
Orion butterflies feed on rotted fruit, they are also nicknamed stinky wings. To attract them we placed old bananas , plantain, carambola and guava outside on a table.
As if by magic one soon appeared. I was elated. Notice the proboscis taking up all the sweet juices from the fruit.
I thought I had seen two butterflies in the area but wasn't sure if it were the same one. So I told my husband that there might be two butterflies. He said that he wasn't believing anything until he had seen it himself and that he had read somewhere that these butterflies were not sociable creatures. He probably though that I was hallucinating but I knew deep down that there were two I had seen.
A while later I heard a shout from my doubting hubby to come quickly! I ran with my camera in hand and ha ha ha....there were two butterflies feeding. I wasn't seeing doubles after all!
Cercropia peltata the larval food for the Orion (historis odius) These are beautiful trees found growing in gullies and hillsides.

It is very difficult to get a shot of the Orion with their wings open. This is one of the few I have managed to take so far .
I've got the whole world
in my hands
I've go the O----RION
in my hands
I've got the whole world
in my hands
I've got the O-----RION
in my hands

The Orion ranges from Cuba to the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Mexico to Argentina. Its wing span is 110 - 130 mm or 4½ to 5½ inches. Larval food is Cercropia peltata trees, also known as Bois canoe in creole. The Orion is a large butterfly with velvety dark brown and orange on the upper wings and dark brown with white bars on the underneath. When closed the wings resemble a dry leaf or a piece of bark, which allows the Orion to blend in with its surroundings without being seen. It feeds on rotting fruit and is a high flier.

27 comments:

  1. How delightful to read about the orion butterfly. The photography added so much to the events you described. I'm happy to learn about this butterfly. We do not have them here in Miami, so I feel fortunate to know about them. They are lovely with wings folded and quite colorful once the upper surface is revealed! Great job, Helen!!

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  2. Thank you Barbara! I hope they will be around when you come in January.

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  3. Terrific post! Thanks for all the photos and the details of their life cycle and food needs. I have never seen an Orion before, but will be on the lookout. We have quite a few Cercropias at our place, but most are so tall that I would never see the caterpillars. I guess I will have to look for them with binocculars!

    cheers,
    Wilma

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  4. Cool pics and how delightful that you were able to attract them to your garden.

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  5. Fascinating metamorphosis, gorgeous butterfly, and amazing photos. Your diligence in capturing the different stages is remarkable. I never cease to be enlightened and delighted by your posts. :) Fran

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  6. Oh so cool! Both you and your husband are really prooooud parents of this orion. Love your recording of the cycle. The orion is so beautiful. What a post! Happy Tuesday.

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  7. What a marvelous post, dear Helen!The photography is stupendous! I too have been trying to capture these stages in my garden, but success has eluded me till now...your post has given me fresh inspiration to try again and with greater enthusiasm too. The Orion butterfly is a delight to eyes, how did you manage to make her dance on your fingers :-)

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  8. Beautiful post, Helen. Great to read up on the orion butterfly.
    I cannot begin to imagine the patience you might have needed to capture these shots. Lovely.

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  9. You have captured the whole life history of the butterfly in a camera.What a beauty of a butterfly! It was clever of you to recognize the catterpillar.

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  10. Wilma....the cercropias are tall and will be very difficult to see the caterpillars. You may have to get a young one planted to be able to see them.

    Nicole...glad you liked the pics.


    Fran and Steve....you do make me feel very special with your comments. Thank you!

    Stephanie....Glad you like my post and happy Tuesday to you too.


    Green thumb....ha ha the secret is that when they are in that state they are helpless. Their wings are not ready for flight. It is quite easy to see the whole process if you can get the food and the caterpillar in a cage or large airy container.

    Urban Green...it wasn't too difficult at all. I wanted to get the actual birth but wasn't there when it happened.

    Lotus leaf....I think that we are the first to ever record the whole metamorphosis of this butterfly. Information on the web and in books were so sketchy and not many pictures were available.

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  11. Interesting post! Did you notice if the butterfly ate up the pupa shell, or does it do that only when it is born in captivity? Your reply to Urban Green made me smile; should we call it the Case of the Absent Midwife?

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  12. Shailaja.....they do not eat their shells at all. I have found many spent ones amongst my plants. Yes I was the absent Midwife LOL I had gone into the garden for a few minutes when the birth occurred.

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  13. Superb post, Helen. And I just love, l-o-ve-e, LOVE those photos! You did a fantastic job of butterfly-rearing. Congratulations! The Orion has to be one of the most stunning butterflies I've ever seen. Imagine having that beauty in your garden!

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  14. Thank you Sunita. It is a stunning butterfly and not many people on the island know about it. Visitors to my garden wonder why I have rotting fruit lying around and are very surprised and fascinated with my answer.

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  15. Helen, what an amazing, amazing post! Loved going through the sequence of your fantastic shots. The Orion is indeed a beautiful butterfly. With the wings closed, and open. How exciting to see the butterfly you helped bring into the world:-) Congrats!

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  16. That is so amazing that you were able to capture the entire life cycle. My kids enjoyed seeing your photos - they were very educational and beautiful.

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  17. Kanak...... thank you! I am just happy that I am able to share this wonderful occurrence with like minded persons.


    AZplantlady.....Your kids actually read my post? I am soooo thrilled! You have made my day!

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  18. I am amaze by the caterpillars that can change colours to suit their surroundings, especially the one that had 3 different colours, exactly like that leaf it is resting on. It is indeed a beautiful caterpillar. You post will be perfect for a biology lesson. Yes, I agree that they do not have complete pictures of metamorphosis with the whole life cycle. Great job, Helen!

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  19. Wow! The magic of metamorphosis just never gets old. Gorgeous pics of your 'baby'

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  20. Yep, this is great, have never knowingly seen the caterpillars before, or known that they like bakonoh as those trees are called here, great post thanks island gal ...

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  21. Absolutely stunning! You have cheered up my cold, dark November evening!

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  22. Autumn Belle....thank you and I would love it if a class would study this butterfly. You have given me an idea...I will alert some biology teachers on this.


    Wizzy.....the magic never fails and thank you for dropping by.

    Zooms.....the trees are found every where in this region. Aren't they beautiful?

    Matron......I am happy to cheer you up. Drop in anytime!

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  23. Wow, that is so amazing! It's so cool you got to watch the whole process. I've never seen one of those kind of butterflies (naturally) but they are quite beautiful. And Big! Thanks for the great lesson in Nature.

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  24. Amazing photographs!!! I loved the blue in the wings and love you celebration with "I got the whole world in my hands..."

    We have raised caterpillars found in cauliflowers and watched them fly away as moths once! That's all the experience I have had with butterflies and moths ... reading your posts and Sunita's posts makes me want to get my camera out and take pictures...

    Love this place!

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  25. Helen, thanks for sharing the full cycle of a caterpillar's metamorphosis. Reminds me of school's science class project!

    Recently I saw 2 green caterpillars on my lemon plant. I didn't manage to see them go into the chrysallis stage. I should have caught them and place them into a glass jar and watched their change. Will keep in mind to do that the next time I see them.

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  26. I went to school in Jamaica in the late '50's. I was an avid butterfly collector. Cadmus & Orion were some of the Holy Grail because they are high & strong fliers. I found 1 chrysalis in a breadfruit tree and hatched it.

    Thank you for some fond memories,
    Bob "BugMan"

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  27. I have only just come across this post. What a fantastic record of the caterpillar/chrysalis/butterfly. Well done for planting the tree, spotting the caterpillars and taking those fantastic pictures. I was sad not to see one of these when I was in St Lucia. It is a good excuse to come back to the Caribbean some time.

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