A pupa of a White butterfly

One of the member of the butterfly and insect group, that I am also a member of, is an expert on caterpillars. When I told her I wanted to photograph the complete life cycle of butterflies, she brought me two pupae (also called chrysalises) of a White. It is not clear whether it is the Large White or Small White. They are about 3 cm long. Only when I looked at them through my macro lens did I realize what a beautiful patterns and colors they have.

I now have to wait till April to see whether butterflies emerge from them. Until then they are kept outside in a shielded area. If you keep them inside they will transform much quicker and the butterfly will emerge before it is warm enough outside to live. Hopefully I manage to photograph the process when the butterfly emerges, but, as this goes relatively quick, this will require a lot of luck.