OUR VERY OWN NATURE SHOW
Two butterflies. Two amazing transformations. Watch their journeys from chrysalis to butterfly, one photo at a time.
These timelapses speed up hours of change. Pause whenever you spot something interesting.
Look closely as the chrysalis gets darker. Then watch Frank’s wings expand.
Frank hangs from a chrysalis inside a mesh habitat. The green chrysalis darkens, then the photos jump to the emerged butterfly. Its wings expand, followed by still photos of its orange-and-black wings. There is no sound.
Watch the moment Fatty McFatFat comes out! Notice how small the wings are at first—and how much they change.
Fatty McFatFat hangs inside a dark chrysalis in a mesh habitat, emerges with small folded wings, then hangs beneath the empty chrysalis as his wings expand. The video ends with three longer-held photos. There is no sound.
FRANK’S NEXT CHAPTER
Frank’s release, from the twig to the leaves. Select a photo to see it on its own.
Look between Frank’s open wings. Can you spot the fine, hair-like fuzz around his dark body?
Then follow the long antennae up from his head. How are they different from those tiny hairs?
FATTY MCFATFAT, MOMENT BY MOMENT
Six real moments from September 7. These are photo capture times, not seconds in the video.
The dark wing pattern is visible inside. Look for the orange patch near the bottom.
Fatty McFatFat is working his way out. His legs and folded body are appearing beside the chrysalis.
The chrysalis looks pale and empty now. Notice how small and crumpled the new wings are.
He holds on beneath the empty shell. His orange wings hang down below his body.
Compare this with the last photo. The wings already look longer and less bunched up.
About 14 minutes after the first fully emerged photo, the wings look much fuller. Expanding wings still need time to dry before flight.
BEHIND THE TIMELAPSE
The setup stayed in one place while the butterflies did the changing.
The tripod held the camera in front of the habitat for hours.
A long series of separate pictures recorded tiny changes that are easy to miss in real time.
The pictures were gently aligned around the chrysalis so small camera shifts would not make the movie jump.
Showing the pictures one after another turns hours of patient watching into a short timelapse.
THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST
Watch again, then compare your observations with a classmate.