Malachite Butterfly - Pupa

Description:

The Malachite Butterfly, is a neotropical brush-footed butterfly, ( family Nymphalidae ). The Malachite, has large wings that are black, and brilliant green or yellow-green, on the upper side, and light brown and olive green, on the underside. Typically, the wingspan is between 8.5 and 10 cm. Adults feed on flower nectar, rotting fruit, dead animals, and bat dung. Females lay eggs on the new leaves of plants in the Acanthaceae family, especially ruellia. The caterpillars are horned, spiny, black caterpillars, with red markings. The outstanding Malachite Butterfly, employes its unbelievable complexion, big size and confident, stylish flight, to attract many butterfly lovers. Adult butterflies, roost jointly, beneath the leaves, of low flowering shrubs. The female Malachite Butterfly, lays her green colored eggs, singly on the fresh leaves of the green shrimp plant, and on other plants of the Acanthaceae family, particularly ruellia, where the caterpillars munch and rest underneath.

Habitat:

These butterflies usually live in: citrus, mango, and avocado orchards, and in semi-deciduous or subtropical evergreen woodlands.

Notes:

I went into the deep woods, which was very dark, and very quiet, to try to find some insects, caterpillars, and butterfly pupae, to photograph and to enjoy its beauty. After about two hours of walking, I came upon some ruellia, which is one of the host plants, for the Malachite Butterfly caterpillar. On one ruellia plant, there were only three pupae. This one pupa, was one and one eighth of an inch long. The color of this pupa, was emerald green. It had two spikes, at the bottom of the pupa. This was a beautiful, emerald green pupa. I will stay in this one spot, for another hour, so I can really enjoy all the beauty, that is in this one spot. I also saw an empty snake skin, which was gray in color. There is so much beauty, to be found, in the woods, and in the deep woods.