BAD PORTRAIT TIME for Caterpillar Eyespots!

Portrait by Mandy Stobo as past of her Bad Portrait Project

I recently started following the Curiosity Rover Twitter account (@MarsCuriosity) which sends out tweets as if they are from the the Curiosity rover itself. This is pretty neat and a good way to keep abreast of the goings on out there on the red planet. I soon came across another Twitter account, Sarcastic Rover (@SarcasticRover), a parody twitter feed which also tweets as if it was the Mars Curiosity rover, but instead makes comments like "I'm on Mars, whoop-dee-fricken-doo". The logo used for the Sarcastic Rover twitter feed was pretty hilarious (Lets do a SCIENCE!), so I looked to see who drew it. 

It turns out that it was created by an artist named Mandy Stobo who has an ongoing project called the Bad Portrait Project. She has a SEND YOUR FACE section where you can send in a photo of yourself and she will make a "Bad Portrait" version then e-mail you a free *.JPG of it! Pretty neat. I asked her if she would create a Bad Portrait of a Papilio canadensis caterpillar photo for me to use at conferences or as a logo, and a few days later she sent me the amazing portrait you see above. In my opinion her artwork is more rad than bad.

Here is the photo I sent her:

You can find out more about Mandy Stobo and her artwork at the websites linked below:

• Personal website
• Bad Portraits project website
• How to make a Bad Portrait

Plush caterpillar set teaches butterfly life stages

A plush Papilio caterpillar! Photo: K. La Flamme

Finding and raising caterpillars is a fun way to engage children with science and the natural world. I have many fond memories of this as a child. We raised Monarchs, Black Swallowtails, Cecropia moths, and many more. There are many teaching points along the way when you are rearing caterpillars. You can learn about plant-animal interactions, animal behaviour, and the life history of butterflies and moths. Here in Ontario this actually forms part of the Grade 2 curriculum. Specifically, the Ontario Curriculum states:

GRADE 2 | UNDERSTANDING LIFE SYSTEMS GROWTH AND CHANGES IN ANIMALS
2.3 investigate the life cycle of a variety of animals (e.g., butterflies, frogs, chickens), using a variety of methods and resources (e.g., observation of live animals in the classroom and in the schoolyard; books, videos/DVDs, CD-ROMs, and/or the Internet) 

2.4 observe and compare changes in the appearance and activity of animals as they go through a complete life cycle (e.g., frog, butterfly)

I recently discovered another fun and exciting way to engage even very young children with these same principals: metamorphosing plush caterpillars! Kristin La Flamme is a fabric artist with a BFA in Graphic Design. She designed a set of plush dolls based on the Citrus Swallowtail that interactively demonstrate the progression through key life stages (see her post here). As nearly all swallowtail caterpillars share the same "bird-dropping" colour pattern during their early instars, she begins with an early-instar "bird poop caterpillar":

The early-instar plush caterpillar. Photo: K. La Flamme

La Flamme states:

"We started with our “baby,” the first through third stages (instars) of the swallowtail: the bird poop caterpillar. This stuffed version features a brown and white fabric, ruched to accentuate the caterpillar’s texture."

For comparison, here is an early instar Papilio canadensis caterpillar:

An actual 1st instar Papilio canandensis caterpillar.

As caterpillars grow they progress through these instars, of which most caterpillars have five. The caterpillar will moult and typically adopt a new colour pattern better suited to its new feeding habits and larger size. For many of the swallowtail caterpillars, particularly those feeding on broad leaved plants, the caterpillars become green and gain eyespots in their later instars. Kristin incorporates the concept on moulting and colour change into her plush set by designing a lined zip-up pouch where you stuff the early instar caterpillar:

The transition from early to late instar caterpillar. Photo: K. La Flamme

Once stuffed into the pouch the caterpillar takes on its late-instar form:

The late instar plush caterpillar. Photo: K. La Flamme

Note the button eyespots and the orange, forked osmetarium which was added in later versions. La Flamme adds:

"I added the osmeterium (yellow-orange scent glands) later as it seemed like it could use a little jazzing up. I love how the functional zipper mimics the actual patterning on the real caterpillar. I really love that it was my daughter’s idea and not mine."

She's right, check out this photo of a real late-instar Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) caterpillar:

Now, the late-instar plush caterpillar gets pushed into its "chrysalis purse":



...then out you pull the adult butterfly (imago)!



...and here is the entire set:

I e-mailed Kristin to find out more about this plush set and her inspirations. She responded promptly with the follwoing answers to my quesitons:


Tom: What do you find most interesting about caterpillars? 
Kristin: I am in complete awe at a caterpillar's potential to become a butterfly. The differences in forms between various instars is amazing enough, but add yet another transformation into a seemingly completely different bug is incredible.

T: Do you think it is important to engage children with the natural world? If so why?
K: I absolutely think it is important to engage children with the natural world. I think it gives them an understanding of how the world works, and I also think they become sympathetic to the need to respect and preserve nature rather than to just try to dominate it. I also think that engaging kids in nature allows them moments of awe and beauty that they may not find in the man-made world.

T: What inspired you to make this plush caterpillar set?
K: My daughter and I love to craft and sew together. It was her idea after watching the caterpillar transform to make some sort of softie of it's phases. I love making purses, so it seemed like an excellent opportunity to combine skills and make an interactive set that reflected what we had been watching in our back yard.

T: Have you done any other insect related artwork?
K: I have not done any other insect related artwork. Although, the wads of tangled threads in my sewing room often remind me of little spiders and flies, so maybe there's the seeds of something there....

T: Can people order one of these plush caterpillar sets from your website?
K: This set was a one-time creation. I have toyed with the idea of partnering with a publisher and creating a story book with illustrations and instructions for making one's own plush metamorphosis set, but never actually pursued it

Thanks Kristin for your creativity and enthusiasm! 

You can find out more about Kristin La Flamme and her fabric art by visiting her personal website (http://kristinlaflamme.com/) and you can see her newest creations on her blog.

Her original post about her plush caterpillar set can be found here: Metamorphosis

She has blogged about her experience with a Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio xuthus) here: Oh Poop!

I finally get photos of a Giant Swallowtail

A close encounter with Papilio cresphontes (Papilionidae)

Papilio cresphontes male puddling in Kemptville, ON. Photo taken Aug 2 2012

This summer has seen a massive influx of Giant Swallowtail butterflies in this part of Ontario (see my earlier post on this). I went from having never seen one in my life to having seen about 10 already this summer alone. When I'm out in the field I am generally keeping an eye on the butterflies I see, especially the Swallowtails. I typically have my camera with me but currently I only have a 18-55mm lens and I am usually not ready or fast enough to snap a photo. When I am confident about a sighting I try to add them to the eButterfly website. I have really wanted to get photos of Papilio cresphontes this year. Partly because it is exciting to bear witness to (and record) this first wave of butterflies as they expand their range northward, and also partly to have concrete evidence that my sightings and records I have added to eButterfly are valid.

Aside: eButterfly is a website where anyone (including you!) can add their butterfly sightings to help scientists track species distributions and how they change over time. New records are being added all the time, which can be queried to see what butterflies are currently flying in your area. Their website provides a short list of reasons you might want to use thier website:

• Record the butterflies you see, photograph, and collect
• Build a virtual collection of butterflies
• Keep track of your butterfly lists (life, year, provinces)
• Find butterflies you have never seen!
• Explore dynamic maps
• Share your sightings and join the eButterfly community
• Contribute to science and conservation

Today I had just finished tearing down one replicate field trial of the pastry caterpillar field experiment I am currently running (details to come later). Just as I was leaving I saw a male Giant Swallowtail puddling on the road (I almost ran it over!). I knew it was a male because females almost never engage in puddling. I stopped and opened my car door. To my surprise it was still there drinking! I threw my car in park, jumped out, popped the trunk and grabbed my camera. Long story short, the butterfly must have found a place it liked because for the next 15 minutes it stayed within a 5m radius lazily fluttering from one point on the road to another, occasionally stopping for a rest and prolonged drink. It didnt seem to mind my presence, and I was able to get within 30cm without disturbing him. I am happy and relieved that I managed to get a few nice shots. Here are a few that I liked most:

Note the excess water being excreted from the abdomen.

Related posts:

• Caterpillar of the day: Papilio cresphontes