Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar - Danaus plexippus
If the showcase earlier this year of the adults is anything to go by, there were quite a few of the hungry milkweed-eating wrigglers to be found in the yard this year first. This post highlights several stages of development as the Caterpillars here go from instar to instar with each molt. They begin life as small eggs left on milkweed from the adults that have returned from the south, following the winter migration. Given how their lifespans are, the adults that return to Ontario in the warmer months to lay their eggs are descendants of those who left before winter. The hatchlings that emerge from the eggs are pale and bereft the iconic markings that larger Monarch Caterpillars have. They do however, gain those markings after molting to their 2nd instar alongside the filaments near the front and behind their body. When not feasting on their host plant, they’ll hide away to avoid danger and the intense summer, as can be seen with the individual in Pictures 1-3. Goodness, how tiny it is. As it eats, it will grow MUCH bigger, from smaller than my nail, to longer than my thumb. After molting, the Caterpillar reaches instar 3 and then instar 4. The individual in Pictures 4-6 falls into one of those stages, but size might not be the best way to tell without anything as a scale.
While size is the biggest factor here (larger the Caterpillar, the more it has grown), the Caterpillar is probably in instar 4 if he consider the length of those sensory filaments. In instar 3, the filaments tend to be shortened; grown much from earlier, but not yet stringy and floppy in appearance. Nearly at full size, these Caterpillars still have a lot of work to do and leaves to eat. As it eats, it grows on the inside, becoming larger until it outgrows its old exoskeleton and necessitating a molt. Though a Caterpillar is soft-bodied, it’s still an insect, and thusly surrounded in a sturdy exoskeleton that protects it, and when outgrown, is shed. Now at giant size, we have the individual in Pictures 7-10; Instar 5 and the last stage of development before the Chrysalis. How much they’ve grown from smaller than a droplet on a leaf, to a patterned, large Caterpillar, and the process usually takes 10-20 days depending on the Caterpillar. And of course, after the Chrysalis molt and a few days of transformation, the regal orange Monarch Butterfly emerges in glory! I could probably make a better timeline of observations if I took a few inside and handled them in a controlled environment, but as always, I like to leave them be (as much as I can) and allow the insect photography to be kept as natural as possible. See you next year little Caterpillars
Pictures were taken on June 26, 27 & July 10, 2021 and July 9, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. Happy first of winter.
2 notes
·
View notes
may we get some Jose and/or Kefiv headcanons please?
Kevin HCs:
-Kevin tastes a lot like smoked meat or jerky, with a hint of salt. He’s a favorite of particularly carnivorous hunters, like Luchino.
-As good as he tastes, the Cowboy is a fighter. If a hunter isn’t careful, he’ll unleash hell on their stomach.
-However, he won’t put up nearly as much of a fight if a woman eats him.
-Kevin isn’t usually the type to digest fellow survivors. Especially not the female ones.
-His lasso is also handy for snagging prey.
~
Jose HCs:
-Jose really isn’t much of a pred. He much prefers paella over a squirming person.
-That said, he will eat someone if they want it badly enough. He’ll question why it has to be him, though.
-Jose has a very salty, fishy taste, with a hint of alcohol.
-If cornered, he’ll try to use his pocket watch to hypnotize the pred into letting him go. It works sometimes.
-Although he dislikes being prey, Jose won’t fight or complain too much. Just give in to his situation.
-Whoever’s eating him will probably take off his prosthetic arm. Don’t worry, he gets it back in time.
4 notes
·
View notes
What We Learned from Flying a Helicopter on Mars
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history – not only as the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled flight on another world – but also for exceeding expectations, pushing the limits, and setting the stage for future NASA aerial exploration of other worlds.
Built as a technology demonstration designed to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, Ingenuity performed flight operations from the Martian surface for almost three years. The helicopter ended its mission on Jan. 25, 2024, after sustaining damage to its rotor blades during its 72nd flight.
So, what did we learn from this small but mighty helicopter?
We can fly rotorcraft in the thin atmosphere of other planets.
Ingenuity proved that powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds when it took to the Martian skies for the first time on April 19, 2021.
Flying on planets like Mars is no easy feat: The Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity – one-third that of Earth’s – and an extremely thin atmosphere, with only 1% the pressure at the surface compared to our planet. This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight.
Ingenuity performed several flights dedicated to understanding key aerodynamic effects and how they interact with the structure and control system of the helicopter, providing us with a treasure-trove of data on how aircraft fly in the Martian atmosphere.
Now, we can use this knowledge to directly improve performance and reduce risk on future planetary aerial vehicles.
Creative solutions and “ingenuity” kept the helicopter flying longer than expected.
Over an extended mission that lasted for almost 1,000 Martian days (more than 33 times longer than originally planned), Ingenuity was upgraded with the ability to autonomously choose landing sites in treacherous terrain, dealt with a dead sensor, dusted itself off after dust storms, operated from 48 different airfields, performed three emergency landings, and survived a frigid Martian winter.
Fun fact: To keep costs low, the helicopter contained many off-the-shelf-commercial parts from the smartphone industry - parts that had never been tested in deep space. Those parts also surpassed expectations, proving durable throughout Ingenuity’s extended mission, and can inform future budget-conscious hardware solutions.
There is value in adding an aerial dimension to interplanetary surface missions.
Ingenuity traveled to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance rover, which served as the communications relay for Ingenuity and, therefore, was its constant companion. The helicopter also proved itself a helpful scout to the rover.
After its initial five flights in 2021, Ingenuity transitioned to an “operations demonstration,” serving as Perseverance’s eyes in the sky as it scouted science targets, potential rover routes, and inaccessible features, while also capturing stereo images for digital elevation maps.
Airborne assets like Ingenuity unlock a new dimension of exploration on Mars that we did not yet have – providing more pixels per meter of resolution for imaging than an orbiter and exploring locations a rover cannot reach.
Tech demos can pay off big time.
Ingenuity was flown as a technology demonstration payload on the Mars 2020 mission, and was a high risk, high reward, low-cost endeavor that paid off big. The data collected by the helicopter will be analyzed for years to come and will benefit future Mars and other planetary missions.
Just as the Sojourner rover led to the MER-class (Spirit and Opportunity) rovers, and the MSL-class (Curiosity and Perseverance) rovers, the team believes Ingenuity’s success will lead to future fleets of aircraft at Mars.
In general, NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions test and advance new technologies, and then transition those capabilities to NASA missions, industry, and other government agencies. Chosen technologies are thoroughly ground- and flight-tested in relevant operating environments — reducing risks to future flight missions, gaining operational heritage and continuing NASA’s long history as a technological leader.
You can fall in love with robots on another planet.
Following in the tracks of beloved Martian rovers, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter built up a worldwide fanbase. The Ingenuity team and public awaited every single flight with anticipation, awe, humor, and hope.
Check out #ThanksIngenuity on social media to see what’s been said about the helicopter’s accomplishments.
Learn more about Ingenuity’s accomplishments here. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
4K notes
·
View notes