Human Flower Project
Star of the Insectiary
Jennifer Zegan, with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, shows visitors dazzling three-inch caterpillars that will become cecropia silkworm moths. The wildflower center’s many attractions include a butterfly garden and a screened shed where proto-butterflies can munch on their favorite plants away from birds and other predators. Here, the caterpillars feed on leaves and stems of Mexican plum. The moths themselves, Zegen said, are born “without mouths.” They live a mere two weeks, just long enough to mate and (if females) lay eggs—there won’t be time for dining.
Photo: Human Flower Project
Posted by on 05/10 at 03:20 PM