長い梅雨の間、
名の知らない小さな虫たちが葉っぱの裏にいろいろな仕掛けをして生き延びようとしたようで、
おかげで、梅雨生まれ梅雨育ちのアゲハは
サナギになるのが精一杯。
羽をつけることができませんでした。
ある日、梅雨生まれさんのエサにと切り取った葉っぱに、
生まれて間もないアゲハの子どもが付いていました。
元の木に戻そうかなと思ったのですが、
ここにいるよ！見て！気づいて！
とばかりに、常に目立つ所にいるので、そのコも育てることにしました。
アゲハは、サナギになって数日のうちに黒っぽくなると要注意だそうで…寄生された虫に命を乗っ取られてしまう証拠です。
おチビの幼虫は、サナギになると、
あっという間に真っ黒になりました。このコもやはり羽化できないかも…と祈るように数日サナギを見つめてドキドキしていました。
そのコが、今週、羽をつけた姿を見せてくれました。
このコだけ、透明なケースに入れ、黒っぽい家具の上に置いて育てていたから黒くなったのかもしれません。
保護色…いったいいつどうやって感知するのでしょうか。
赤い紋が少ない、あまりお目にかかったことのない模様です。
男の子かもしれません。
今回は、飛ぶ力がついたらすぐに空へ放とうと決めていました。
夕方少し涼しくなった時間に、カーテンと網戸を開けました。が、そちらに向かって行かないので、指に乗せてベランダに出ました。
風が吹いています。
彼は、羽をたたんで風を避け、飛ばされまいと、しっかり私の指を掴んでいます。
飛ばないの？
飛べないわけではなさそうなのに。
飛ばない。
で、室内に戻すと、窓外を見たがる。
翌日。
やはりベランダで、今度は羽を広げて指にしがみつき、飛ばない。
数時間経ち、開けた窓におびき寄せると、スッと空に飛び去りました。
初めての世界は緊張するもの。頼れるものがあると、頼りたくなる。人も同じですね。
頼る者を失った少年が、この世界でたくましく生きてくれるのを願っています。
During the long rainy season in Japan, in the period before Summer arrives on our doorstep with all its heat and humidity, I witness many insects busying themselves in the garden. This is especially so in and amongst the leaves of my lemon trees. Swallowtails, a type of butterfly, are one such insect species who, as part of their natural instinct to live and perpetuate life, use this leafy green and fragrant environment to provide the best chance of survival for their larva and pupas. For many reasons however pupa, (chrysalis), do not always develop into a fully winged butterfly.
I had been keeping some of the leaves from the lemon trees in my room, when one day, quite by chance, I happened to find a tiny, tiny larva crawling on one of the leaves.
My immediate thought was to take it back outside and place it in one of the trees in the garden. It however just stopped and stayed still, in a noticeable position, exposed on the leaf for quite some time, as if checking with me to see that I had in fact heard Its pure voice calling out to me to let me notice it. I decided then that I would keep it in my room and raise it.
If a pupa’s color turns dark within a few days after pupation, that means the pupa has been parasitized upon by other insects. My tiny larva became a very dark brown color upon its pupation. I prepared myself to be disappointed that it would not become an imago during its metamorphosis. My heart was beating in anticipation for several days.
The pupa however turned out to be a beautiful swallowtail (this week).
Much to my surprise and delight.
I don’t know why it successfully developed its wings though, as the pupa was dark. But perhaps, in thinking back, I recall I grew it in a clear plastic box, which was placed on-top of a dark piece of furniture, and, kept well apart from others.
In combination, a protective coloration. A sort of camouflage, as it were. Perhaps.
The new born swallowtail had few red dots on its wings. I felt this was a rare pattern.
It might be a male.
Before It’s emergence I had decided that I would release it back to nature, and do that soon after I felt he could fly well.
Early in the evening one day it became noticeably cooler than the daytime temperature and so I opened a window in my room. Perhaps now was the time? Alas, he showed no inclination or sign of flying away. So with him balanced happily on my finger, I took him out onto my balcony.
The wind was blowing.
He grabbed my finger tighter so as not to be blown away. He kept his wings closed shut.
Couldn’t he fly? No, he had flown in the room before.
I took him back into the room again. Then he flew to the window.
The next day, I tried to let him go again. But he again grabbed my finger tight. But this time his wings were spreading out and he fluttered them gently.
Finally, a few hours later when I opened the window he flew away. Up he went into the wide sky.
We feel nerves at the first experience of anything. Human is the same.
On such occasion if we have someone or something to rely upon, we tend to lean on them.
I am praying that the young swallowtail who lost his one to lean on will nevertheless live on strong, through many first experiences, out there in this tough often non-forgiving world.
