The magic doesn't always work

Male Brimstone newly eclosed with incompletely inflated wings. He will spend his life inside...
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[JoeV]

Wow, those wings are amazing.

[Jesika]

@joev It's a terrible shame, Joe, I hate it when this happens. I always think that had I seen the eclosion I could have prevented this catastrophe by lifting the insect to allow gravity and movement to work to inflate the wings properly.
j

[~*~ Jo ~*~]

Lovely capture and wing detail - the incomplete opening of the wings does actually make it look even more like a leaf. Does it affect their flight. You say he will spend his life inside - do you breed them ?

[Jesika]

@ziggy77 Thanks, Jo. He can't fly, can only flutter. If you wish, you can go back to May 4 and follow Mrs B's Great Adventure, the life cycle of the Brimstone. This is my second year of raising & releasing these gorgeous butterflies and over the 2 years, my knowledge base has increased greatly. Hopefully another Mrs B will visit my tiny Alder Buckthorn next May and it will all begin again.
j

[~*~ Jo ~*~]

@jesika2 wonderful shots of Mrs B adventure. Never seen the beautiful butterflies you have posted,

[carol white]

A super capture, very interesting to see the life cycle of the Brimstone

[Jesika]

@ziggy77 Thank you, Jo, I'm pleased you enjoyed the journey
j

[Jesika]

@carolmw Thanks, Carol, I always feel so sad when this happens. They survive all the difficulties of life as egg & larvae &pupate only to fall and fail at the very end.
j

[Suzie Townsend]

Ah, poor little guy. Life is hard for all species.

[Jesika]

@stownsend Thank you, Susie.j

[KoalaGardens🐨]

how interesting he is - what do you mean he will spend his life inside?

[Anne Pancella]

Interesting and sad. Mother Nature is a mean mother sometimes.

[Jesika]

@koalagardens He won't be able to fly, so if he falls to the ground which is a certainty, he'll have problems getting to food. If he stays in the breeding cage he's protected & fed but even then he won't have the long (year) life expectancy of a Brimstone.
j

[Jesika]

@annepann You are so right, Anne. I despair when those I raise don't fly away for what ever reason, and then I remind myself that left to natural causes, only 1 or 2% would live the full life, there are so many obstacles to overcome.
j

[FBailey]

How sad but at least he will have a little life this way x

[Jesika]

@fbailey Brief but protected, not necessarily happy, they look sad in the breeding cage when their instincts are telling them it's time to go.
jx

[Julienne Jones]

Awww wehat a shame! But at least he's made it to fluttering stage!

[Jesika]

@julienne1 It seems so unfair to me that they overcome so many hurdles in their lives only to fall at the last. The adults don't like being confined, caterpillars don't care as long as they get fed!
j