Day 1:
Date: 3/9/13
1pm: I find two young caterpillars, both different to look at, on the Asopalav tree near my place. Just few days before I had seen one caterpillar that resembled one of them. That I knew was the caterpillar of a butterfly called Tailed Jay. Excited I am to find these two. excitement leads to temptation to take one home. I am in a dilemma whether to take or not. It would be wonderful to observe its life cycle. One of them is really young just about a 1.5cm in size the other has just finished moulting. I pick this one up. At the back of my mind words of my friends resound "murder, intruder, don't disturb nature", however I have succumbed to the temptation and have consoled my mind saying that, Sir thinks it's ok as long as I can feed it with leaves, I will get to observe it close at hand and I have also saved it from becoming a feast to the birds. I am planning to call Sir soon, but I am apprehensive that this one may die.
The moment I pluck the leaf on which the caterpillar is, it feels threatened and shoots out its osmeterium. In this case it's lemon yellow in colour. I bring it home with few more leaves to feed it.
Back home I search for a suitable container to keep my treasure. Finding one, I decide to keep it close to the window so it feels at home. Just a poor solace for my aching heart that separated him from his mother tree.
3.00pm: I had left it undisturbed till now. I get some more fresh leaves and place them in. I find that the caterpillar has eaten up its moulted skin and a little bit of the leaves too. But otherwise there hasn't been much of activity. I place the fresh leaves in the box. These leaves are from a different asopalav tree. I am apprehensive again whether they will be accepted. I can only wait and watch.(By placing different leaves I just wanted to see if they eat leaves of the same species but different tree, I had time to replace them if they don't.)
10.30pm: I return home and rush to my box. I had informed my mom not to throw it away., she is Ok with it so long as its not on her tree. I see that the caterpillar has eaten the leaves of the new tree. It seems to prefer young leaves rather than the old ones. However I don't have more fresh leaves for the night. Lets see what happens next morning.
Day 2:
Date: 4/9/13
6.00am I have hardly slept and get up wondering how my caterpillar is faring, I rush to the Container and was shocked to see the fellow all shrivelled up.
This scares me and I rush down to get few fresh leaves from the mother tree and also some young leaves. As I was picking up the leaves and examining the tree I find these beautiful pearl like structures on the tip of one of the leaves of Asopalava tree. They should be the eggs of the Tailed Jay I think. I don't know
7.30am Back home I now decide to change the container as this particular one doesn't give the feel of leaves hanging, so I use this strainer I have at home and tuck leaves through its holes and keep it inverted over another bowl. Now I have my own caterpillar pot. like a fish pot.
It's tough for me to have this fellow home. I have to do all those things I don't like doing, like I have to pluck the leaves and keep the caterpillar caged. I don't know if the caterpillar will survive. It's horrifying and I am feeling like a murderer, to take it away from its home. But now it's done. Only hope is it eats and grows healthy. I don't want to see it suffer. Oh God!! what if it is suffering right now!!
1,30pm I have tried my best to divert my mind. Later I just have a peep in the afternoon, its eating what I got. Good
I have decided I will tell Sir only after this fellow grows a little
10.00pm As I return home from work, on my way I pluck leaves again. God this ordeal is killing me already. OH! When will it pupate!!
Well it has eaten only the young leaves and not touched the mature leaves of the mother plant. It feeds only on the soft young leaves. And Oh my God the box is full of caterpillar crap, they are like pepper balls, a bit smaller although. It must be eating well, I convince myself.
Lets see what tomorrow brings.
Day 3:
Date: 5/9/13
5.30am I am up early again today and the first thing I do is have a look at them. Wow it has grown. thank god, the shrivelled appearance has gone, Its looking fresh green and is about 2.5cm long. I decide to take a picture.
Yesterday I couldn't get myself to photograph it. Today it is looking good.
I have assumed it is a caterpillar of the Tailed Jay Butterfly.
I compare my pictures with the one I saw in a blog on butterflies. Surprisingly it doen't look like the caterpillar shown here. The other two I had seen on the tree resembles the blog pictures but this one is really different. It does have a forked tail, but instead of the horn like structures it has something that looks like an eye on its head. I am assuming it to be a gender difference. Maybe the male and female caterpillar are different. This mystery will be solved only once it emerges from the pupa.
I have decided to keep this a secret. I will tell only sir and two friend to whom I had already told. That's it. They have already started teasing me. They says add salt and masala to your leaves so that the caterpillars eat. :P
Meanwhile I am following a schedule for my caterpillar. morning breakfast-7.30am, afternoon lunch-1.30pm and finally night dinner-10.30pm, No interference in between and then one picture during the day, I am saying all this after interfering majorly already.
7.00am: I go down to get more leaves and also check On the pearl eggs. no changes as of now.
12.30pm: I have to get more young leaves, the lemon yellow and brown ones, The mother host plant has no young leaves, I get it from other Asopalav trees. The eggs I had seen yesterday have not hatched, they don't even resemble the eggs of a tailed jay, and unlike the single eggs of the tailed jay, they are laid in groups.
Back home, the caterpillar is on the walls of the strainer. again I panic. oh oh its gentle legs!!. I had picked up my dead mormon caterpillar last year, so I know they are very soft. the holes of the strainer must be too sharp..OMG what an emotional torture all this is. I can't bear this sight, All weird thoughts enter my head, about it must be feeling caged, no food, starvation. What have I done!! I feel like just bursting out All this somewhere. But where?? writing is a good solace.
I have no choice, I just pack the pot with leaves and hope the caterpillar finds its way to them. After an hour I check, it is now on a leaf, what a relief. I can go to work peacefully.
Plucking leaves is bad, but the worst is plucking them at night. I feel as if I am killing someone when they are asleep. I have told sorry a million times now to this tree. What's the point!. Doesn't make me less a devil...
Leaves in hand, I walk home like a thief. But I stole it for my caterpillar, I explain myself. and maybe so does a thief who loots for his children. With all these thoughts I return home
Good boy!! It has eaten well. I place the new leaves, remove the old.In a day it eats only around one and a half leaf. I wonder if that's good!
Tomorrow I will tell Sir about my caterpillar
Day 4:
6th sep 2013
Up again and a quick peep into the pot. All is looking fine, I go down to get the leaves and watch the eggs too. Eggs haven't hatched. I am curious to know what they have,
While replacing the leaves carefully, I see my caterpillar is hanging on an old stale leaf. Not a pretty site, I even see it eating the stale leaf. oh dear!! I wonder why can't it just have the fresh ones. how to tell him to eat fresh ones??
Its just 4 days I really hope it pupates soon
Afternoon feeding time also goes fine. Its looking healthy for a change. I don't know why I don't like taking his pictures again and again. I feel like I am intruding in his privacy. I feel I am scaring it but I have already interfered so much that clicking pictures is nothing in front of it.
I called sir and told him about this little one. He can't come, I can't go, so all we do is wait for the pupation
The horrible night time is here again. I have to pluck leaves again. There are some guys standing around my tree, what a sad luck.. Shoooo!!! I wish to do. I suppose the trees are shooing me away too.
I search for another tree, but don't manage to collect enough fresh leaves,
Dear caterpillar, this is all I have and you will have to put up with it,
Day 5:
7th sep 2013
7.00am :Time to get fresh leaves, but first a quick peep. Wow!! my caterpillar has grown really long. lalalala Pupation is closer that means. now it measures around 3cm. I really admire the endurance of this little fellow. The changes it has been through and the way it's growing strong.
I go to collect leaves. Eggs haven't hatched yet. I have decided to put this on project Noah for Id. I try but somehow it's not working. The picture is beautiful and I end up putting it on instagram.
Instagram picture encourages a comment of "provide the fodder" from a friend and my guilty mind begins to wonder how in the world was my secret out. The next that followed was volcano eruption. First I erupted all that I wanted to say from so long. the blunder, the guilt mixed with excitement and joy, spiced with curiosity and fear all came out in one go. The moment this friend realized I had picked it off its host plant another volcano erupted. I agreed to all the censure yet the after thought made me think on a topic too profound to discuss here.
Coming back to my caterpillars and somehow feeling better after both the eruptions and now just accepting that I have to bear the results of what I have done and REALISE that whatever justification I have for my act, certain things pinch your heart and their lies no joy in doing it then. The intention of picking this fellow was just a temptation to observe and is definitely not a strong reason to support the act. Lets see if I think differently at the end of all this.
Now I have filled the pot again with leaves, the caterpillar looks fine. let see what tomorrow brings. hoping for Pupation
Day 5:
8th sep 2013.
Now a days the first thing I do as soon as I get up is to check on the caterpillar. To my dismay there is no pupation and to add to this the caterpillar has climbed on the walls leaving the leaves. I am tired of feeding these leaves as it never seems to like what I like. I get fresh new leaves and it continues to eat the old stale ones.Now to add to this mischief it has climbed on the vessel wall and is looking shorter that yesterday. All I can do now is adjust the leaves next to it with the hope that it will climb on them soon.
After about two hours I check again. Relieved I am to see that it has climbed on the leaves and is now resting. best time to take pictures is when it is resting. It seems to follow a very simple routing. eat-sleep-eat sleep- eat-sleep. Well if by just eating and sleeping it gets transformed into a butterfly I am ready to follow the same plan too..
By Afternoon the caterpillar looks shorter than yesterday. its about 2.5cm now and it has become paler than yesterday and almost has a yellow tinge to it. It has also developed spots on the sides of its body. It is moving less and eating less than usual. My only assurance is that it is looking healthy.
I take few pictures. Get new leaves and keep it in my container. The eggs those pearl ones that I keep checking on when I go to get leaves have still not hatched. Some of them have darkened in colour. Looks translucent as if containing some liquid. I am hoping they will hatch tomorrow. These are a real mystery.
At night I check on it and find it as lazy as ever. Plucking leaves has started getting on my nerves now.
Day 6:
9th september 2013.
Today the caterpillar looks even shorter and paler than yesterday. It seems to be shrinking in size. I wonder If this is because of its poor diet.
This not eating business has really worried me. I decide that enough is enough I am going to get leaves from the mother plant today. I wonder why its not eating and behaving so weirdly. May be fresh leaves from mother plant will do the trick. I am scared of the watchman in that building where the mother plant is. He eyes at me suspiciously as if I am stealing mangoes. Yet he doesn't ask what I am doing. I would have been more glad to explain all and take than having him stare at me like that. I get a good branch this time.
10th September 2013
Well, all through last night the caterpillar was in the same place.Today morning brought a pleasant surprise. My caterpillar had taken up a pre-puatory position. The silk threads that support it are in position. I am really happy that I don't have to feed him with new leaves anymore. Hoping to catch it pupate
10.30am: This time when I come to watch it, I know its going to pupate anytime. I see the mild convulsions set in and looks like the upper skin is going to tear off. The part which was its mouth is trying to slip over the entire body. I wait and I wait but nothing more than this is happening. I had to leave that time. When i come back after about an hour the final moulting for Pupation has happened. The moult skin lies on the floor and a beautiful green Pupa lies in its place.
The pupation has happened. What a relief.
Day 8-11th sep 2013 to Day 17: 20th sep 2013
This was the duration between pupation and emergence of the butterfly. I couldn't take much pictures of the changes that the pupa went through due to some unavoidable circumstances. However I could manage a few pictures here and there. Luckily for me i didn't miss the butterfly. I however missed the process of emergence which I so badly wanted to see.
For more information ..
http://butterflycircle.blogspot.in/2011/06/life-history-of-common-jay.html
Date: 3/9/13
1pm: I find two young caterpillars, both different to look at, on the Asopalav tree near my place. Just few days before I had seen one caterpillar that resembled one of them. That I knew was the caterpillar of a butterfly called Tailed Jay. Excited I am to find these two. excitement leads to temptation to take one home. I am in a dilemma whether to take or not. It would be wonderful to observe its life cycle. One of them is really young just about a 1.5cm in size the other has just finished moulting. I pick this one up. At the back of my mind words of my friends resound "murder, intruder, don't disturb nature", however I have succumbed to the temptation and have consoled my mind saying that, Sir thinks it's ok as long as I can feed it with leaves, I will get to observe it close at hand and I have also saved it from becoming a feast to the birds. I am planning to call Sir soon, but I am apprehensive that this one may die.
 |
| Asopavla Tree on which i found the caterpillars. |
 |
| Caterpillar of Tailed Jay which I had found few days before. |
The moment I pluck the leaf on which the caterpillar is, it feels threatened and shoots out its osmeterium. In this case it's lemon yellow in colour. I bring it home with few more leaves to feed it.
Back home I search for a suitable container to keep my treasure. Finding one, I decide to keep it close to the window so it feels at home. Just a poor solace for my aching heart that separated him from his mother tree.
 |
| Just after moulting |
 |
| Side view of the above caterpillar |
3.00pm: I had left it undisturbed till now. I get some more fresh leaves and place them in. I find that the caterpillar has eaten up its moulted skin and a little bit of the leaves too. But otherwise there hasn't been much of activity. I place the fresh leaves in the box. These leaves are from a different asopalav tree. I am apprehensive again whether they will be accepted. I can only wait and watch.(By placing different leaves I just wanted to see if they eat leaves of the same species but different tree, I had time to replace them if they don't.)
10.30pm: I return home and rush to my box. I had informed my mom not to throw it away., she is Ok with it so long as its not on her tree. I see that the caterpillar has eaten the leaves of the new tree. It seems to prefer young leaves rather than the old ones. However I don't have more fresh leaves for the night. Lets see what happens next morning.
Day 2:
Date: 4/9/13
6.00am I have hardly slept and get up wondering how my caterpillar is faring, I rush to the Container and was shocked to see the fellow all shrivelled up.
This scares me and I rush down to get few fresh leaves from the mother tree and also some young leaves. As I was picking up the leaves and examining the tree I find these beautiful pearl like structures on the tip of one of the leaves of Asopalava tree. They should be the eggs of the Tailed Jay I think. I don't know
 |
| Unknown Pearls |
 |
| New leaves,caterpillars like young leaves to feast on. |
7.30am Back home I now decide to change the container as this particular one doesn't give the feel of leaves hanging, so I use this strainer I have at home and tuck leaves through its holes and keep it inverted over another bowl. Now I have my own caterpillar pot. like a fish pot.
 |
| Fake home resembling Fish Bowl. |
It's tough for me to have this fellow home. I have to do all those things I don't like doing, like I have to pluck the leaves and keep the caterpillar caged. I don't know if the caterpillar will survive. It's horrifying and I am feeling like a murderer, to take it away from its home. But now it's done. Only hope is it eats and grows healthy. I don't want to see it suffer. Oh God!! what if it is suffering right now!!
1,30pm I have tried my best to divert my mind. Later I just have a peep in the afternoon, its eating what I got. Good
I have decided I will tell Sir only after this fellow grows a little
10.00pm As I return home from work, on my way I pluck leaves again. God this ordeal is killing me already. OH! When will it pupate!!
Well it has eaten only the young leaves and not touched the mature leaves of the mother plant. It feeds only on the soft young leaves. And Oh my God the box is full of caterpillar crap, they are like pepper balls, a bit smaller although. It must be eating well, I convince myself.
 |
| Oh Shit!! |
Lets see what tomorrow brings.
Day 3:
Date: 5/9/13
5.30am I am up early again today and the first thing I do is have a look at them. Wow it has grown. thank god, the shrivelled appearance has gone, Its looking fresh green and is about 2.5cm long. I decide to take a picture.
Yesterday I couldn't get myself to photograph it. Today it is looking good.
 |
| *about 2.5cm, Fresh green |
I have assumed it is a caterpillar of the Tailed Jay Butterfly.
I compare my pictures with the one I saw in a blog on butterflies. Surprisingly it doen't look like the caterpillar shown here. The other two I had seen on the tree resembles the blog pictures but this one is really different. It does have a forked tail, but instead of the horn like structures it has something that looks like an eye on its head. I am assuming it to be a gender difference. Maybe the male and female caterpillar are different. This mystery will be solved only once it emerges from the pupa.
I have decided to keep this a secret. I will tell only sir and two friend to whom I had already told. That's it. They have already started teasing me. They says add salt and masala to your leaves so that the caterpillars eat. :P
Meanwhile I am following a schedule for my caterpillar. morning breakfast-7.30am, afternoon lunch-1.30pm and finally night dinner-10.30pm, No interference in between and then one picture during the day, I am saying all this after interfering majorly already.
7.00am: I go down to get more leaves and also check On the pearl eggs. no changes as of now.
12.30pm: I have to get more young leaves, the lemon yellow and brown ones, The mother host plant has no young leaves, I get it from other Asopalav trees. The eggs I had seen yesterday have not hatched, they don't even resemble the eggs of a tailed jay, and unlike the single eggs of the tailed jay, they are laid in groups.
Back home, the caterpillar is on the walls of the strainer. again I panic. oh oh its gentle legs!!. I had picked up my dead mormon caterpillar last year, so I know they are very soft. the holes of the strainer must be too sharp..OMG what an emotional torture all this is. I can't bear this sight, All weird thoughts enter my head, about it must be feeling caged, no food, starvation. What have I done!! I feel like just bursting out All this somewhere. But where?? writing is a good solace.
I have no choice, I just pack the pot with leaves and hope the caterpillar finds its way to them. After an hour I check, it is now on a leaf, what a relief. I can go to work peacefully.
Plucking leaves is bad, but the worst is plucking them at night. I feel as if I am killing someone when they are asleep. I have told sorry a million times now to this tree. What's the point!. Doesn't make me less a devil...
Leaves in hand, I walk home like a thief. But I stole it for my caterpillar, I explain myself. and maybe so does a thief who loots for his children. With all these thoughts I return home
Good boy!! It has eaten well. I place the new leaves, remove the old.In a day it eats only around one and a half leaf. I wonder if that's good!
Tomorrow I will tell Sir about my caterpillar
Day 4:
6th sep 2013
Up again and a quick peep into the pot. All is looking fine, I go down to get the leaves and watch the eggs too. Eggs haven't hatched. I am curious to know what they have,
While replacing the leaves carefully, I see my caterpillar is hanging on an old stale leaf. Not a pretty site, I even see it eating the stale leaf. oh dear!! I wonder why can't it just have the fresh ones. how to tell him to eat fresh ones??
Its just 4 days I really hope it pupates soon
 |
| *About 2.7 to 3cm. *Rings prominent and *the green colour deepens |
Afternoon feeding time also goes fine. Its looking healthy for a change. I don't know why I don't like taking his pictures again and again. I feel like I am intruding in his privacy. I feel I am scaring it but I have already interfered so much that clicking pictures is nothing in front of it.
I called sir and told him about this little one. He can't come, I can't go, so all we do is wait for the pupation
The horrible night time is here again. I have to pluck leaves again. There are some guys standing around my tree, what a sad luck.. Shoooo!!! I wish to do. I suppose the trees are shooing me away too.
I search for another tree, but don't manage to collect enough fresh leaves,
Dear caterpillar, this is all I have and you will have to put up with it,
Day 5:
7th sep 2013
7.00am :Time to get fresh leaves, but first a quick peep. Wow!! my caterpillar has grown really long. lalalala Pupation is closer that means. now it measures around 3cm. I really admire the endurance of this little fellow. The changes it has been through and the way it's growing strong.
I go to collect leaves. Eggs haven't hatched yet. I have decided to put this on project Noah for Id. I try but somehow it's not working. The picture is beautiful and I end up putting it on instagram.
Instagram picture encourages a comment of "provide the fodder" from a friend and my guilty mind begins to wonder how in the world was my secret out. The next that followed was volcano eruption. First I erupted all that I wanted to say from so long. the blunder, the guilt mixed with excitement and joy, spiced with curiosity and fear all came out in one go. The moment this friend realized I had picked it off its host plant another volcano erupted. I agreed to all the censure yet the after thought made me think on a topic too profound to discuss here.
Coming back to my caterpillars and somehow feeling better after both the eruptions and now just accepting that I have to bear the results of what I have done and REALISE that whatever justification I have for my act, certain things pinch your heart and their lies no joy in doing it then. The intention of picking this fellow was just a temptation to observe and is definitely not a strong reason to support the act. Lets see if I think differently at the end of all this.
Now I have filled the pot again with leaves, the caterpillar looks fine. let see what tomorrow brings. hoping for Pupation
Day 5:
8th sep 2013.
Now a days the first thing I do as soon as I get up is to check on the caterpillar. To my dismay there is no pupation and to add to this the caterpillar has climbed on the walls leaving the leaves. I am tired of feeding these leaves as it never seems to like what I like. I get fresh new leaves and it continues to eat the old stale ones.Now to add to this mischief it has climbed on the vessel wall and is looking shorter that yesterday. All I can do now is adjust the leaves next to it with the hope that it will climb on them soon.
After about two hours I check again. Relieved I am to see that it has climbed on the leaves and is now resting. best time to take pictures is when it is resting. It seems to follow a very simple routing. eat-sleep-eat sleep- eat-sleep. Well if by just eating and sleeping it gets transformed into a butterfly I am ready to follow the same plan too..
.jpg) |
| At 9.30am |
By Afternoon the caterpillar looks shorter than yesterday. its about 2.5cm now and it has become paler than yesterday and almost has a yellow tinge to it. It has also developed spots on the sides of its body. It is moving less and eating less than usual. My only assurance is that it is looking healthy.
I take few pictures. Get new leaves and keep it in my container. The eggs those pearl ones that I keep checking on when I go to get leaves have still not hatched. Some of them have darkened in colour. Looks translucent as if containing some liquid. I am hoping they will hatch tomorrow. These are a real mystery.
At night I check on it and find it as lazy as ever. Plucking leaves has started getting on my nerves now.
Day 6:
9th september 2013.
Today the caterpillar looks even shorter and paler than yesterday. It seems to be shrinking in size. I wonder If this is because of its poor diet.
 |
| about 2.5cm |
 |
| Shrunken caterpillar, paler and inactive |
This not eating business has really worried me. I decide that enough is enough I am going to get leaves from the mother plant today. I wonder why its not eating and behaving so weirdly. May be fresh leaves from mother plant will do the trick. I am scared of the watchman in that building where the mother plant is. He eyes at me suspiciously as if I am stealing mangoes. Yet he doesn't ask what I am doing. I would have been more glad to explain all and take than having him stare at me like that. I get a good branch this time.
Back home the caterpillar is at its irritating best. I don't know why I feel as if I can see mild convulsions running down its body. It has stopped defecating also. Every time like an elephant it raises his head but continues to be where he is. He has chosen the stalest of all leaves I keep the fresh ones next to it and decide to take pictures. But suddenly as if I have woken him up from sleep, he starts moving and climbs the new branch I have got. Thank god for that. I presume its hungry and wait with the leaf in my hand. Its moving very rapidly so I can't even place the Leaf down. There are about 7 to 8 leaves on this branch. To my surprise it moves on each and every leaf without eating them as if its testing which is the best leaf. It keeps on moving his head up and then finally comes to rest on one leaf. I am surprised that it comes and just goes back to sleep here. I was sure it was going to eat. but it simply stays
Day 7
On the Move
10th September 2013
Well, all through last night the caterpillar was in the same place.Today morning brought a pleasant surprise. My caterpillar had taken up a pre-puatory position. The silk threads that support it are in position. I am really happy that I don't have to feed him with new leaves anymore. Hoping to catch it pupate
.jpg) |
| The pre-pupatory stage: the silk threads easily seen here. Pupa yet to form |
10.30am: This time when I come to watch it, I know its going to pupate anytime. I see the mild convulsions set in and looks like the upper skin is going to tear off. The part which was its mouth is trying to slip over the entire body. I wait and I wait but nothing more than this is happening. I had to leave that time. When i come back after about an hour the final moulting for Pupation has happened. The moult skin lies on the floor and a beautiful green Pupa lies in its place.
The pupation has happened. What a relief.
.jpg) |
| The Green Pupa hanging strong |
.jpg) |
| The Moulted skin |
This was the duration between pupation and emergence of the butterfly. I couldn't take much pictures of the changes that the pupa went through due to some unavoidable circumstances. However I could manage a few pictures here and there. Luckily for me i didn't miss the butterfly. I however missed the process of emergence which I so badly wanted to see.
 |
| on 13th sep 2013: not much changes |
.jpg) |
| Emergence: 10.04am |
 |
| emergence: 10.04am |
.jpg) |
| The Beautiful COMMON JAY..............:):) |
http://butterflycircle.blogspot.in/2011/06/life-history-of-common-jay.html
wow. nice.. would like to see a pictorial too...
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