In my home garden, the flowers I planted grow vigorously, captivating my eyes with their enchanting beauty. Every time I gaze at them, a sense of admiration fills my heart. Only a few words can escape my lips, "Beautiful! Truly very beautiful," and "Fragrant! Very fragrant." Not only am I captivated, but in an instant, butterflies and bees also arrive, as if they too are enchanted by the charm of the flowers. They move agilely among the leaves and flower petals as if they are feasting in this captivating beauty. Truly, it is a busy day for a swarm of bees and butterflies in my home garden.
Shortly after, a graceful butterfly glided towards a nearby orange tree, gracefully alighting upon it to deposit something before swiftly fluttering away. Intrigued by this rare sight, I cautiously approached for a closer look, revealing delicate eggs delicately nestled among the leaves. Despite my initial fascination, a wave of laziness swept over me, and I dismissed the occurrence from my mind. As days passed, the tiny eggs metamorphosed into small brown caterpillars adorned with golden-brown protrusions resembling tiny horns, marking the beginning of a remarkable transformation.
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| A picture of a caterpillar when it is still brown |
Then, once again, I disregarded it, and as time passed, the caterpillar transformed back into a chubby and adorable green caterpillar. The protrusions that were previously on its back vanished without a trace, leaving its back smooth and sleek. I assumed that the change in its color to green was due to consuming the leaves that served as its food.
This time, I made a firm commitment not to overlook it again. I dedicated myself to observing its behavior daily, keenly noting its eating habits, foot, resting patterns, and defense mechanisms as a caterpillar. The following is a detailed description of its behaviors based on my own observed:
1. Eating Habits
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| A picture of a caterpillar while eating an orange leaf |
The caterpillar's mouth resembles pincers, and their way of cutting leaves for consumption is similar to how we cut paper. Assisted by a pair of main front legs, they carefully use these legs to guide leaf fragments into their mouths.
2. Feet
The caterpillar has a total of 8 pairs of legs, which are further divided based on their functions into 2 groups that I named: 3 pairs of main walking legs and 5 adhesive legs.
Counted from the front towards the back, the first three pairs of legs serve as the caterpillar's primary walking appendages. Their main function is to firmly grasp and pull leaves towards the caterpillar's mouth, facilitating the consumption process.
The five pairs of legs located after the three main walking legs are specialized for adhering the caterpillar's body to the plant stem. Their primary function is to provide stability and prevent the caterpillar from slipping or falling off the plant, especially during windy or rainy conditions. This adaptation proves to be invaluable in maintaining the caterpillar's safety and survival in its natural habitat.
3 . Resting & Defense Mechanism
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| A picture of a resting caterpillar |
After feeding, the caterpillar naturally takes a rest. During this resting period, it adopts a posture where it slightly bends its head downwards to elevate its back, protruding the dorsal part of its body.
