Backyard Metamorphosis

IT LOOKS LIKE a finger, sticking through the knothole in the fence from the yard next door. It moves like a finger, curling upward. But it is not a finger at all.

On closer examination, it turns out to be a chrysalis. A caterpillar has crawled to this spot, attached itself at the top of the knothole and molted. Now it hangs there, anchored in place, and it apparently moves about by contracting its abdominal muscles. This causes it to bend upward. In the process, it protrudes from within the one-inch thickness of the plank.

By its shape and coloration, it is an immature Gulf fritillary. The adult is a lovely butterfly that resembles a monarch in its orange color but has silver blotches splashed over its underwings. Its caterpillars grow up to be black, three-inch beauties with clusters of branching thorns growing from their backs and red strips running along their sides. They feed on passion vines.

The behavior of this brainless, mindless chrysalis, however, is new to science and probably represents a way of grabbing some extra energy during the colder months. The odd little creature apparently flexes upward when it senses sunlight or heat, basks for a while, then, maybe when its temperature has risen high enough, straightens out, pulling back into the cool shade.