Fascinating! The photos are wonderful. Can't wait to see the butterfly.

Cool!

Wow! Love the photos!

So intriguing, Miss Sherry! Have you noticed whether or not it is sensitive to light which is a typical response in albinism?

Susan

Susan, I found the cat on a cloudy day, so it occurred to me that maybe it stayed hidden when the sun was out - the passionvines it was on are real thick, and it could have easily hidden there. I brought it in to raise myself in one of the cages on my covered and always shady porch, so there was no sunlight there. I've put it in sunlight to make its picture a few times, but it was late in the afternoon, and I didn't keep it out for long, so I really don't know if it's light sensitive, but I suspect it is.
It's been eating a lot today, so it'll probably molt one more time, them pupate. Of course, gulf frits don't stay in their chrysalis very long, so it shouldn't be too long before I get a butterfly. I'll post another picture of it, if it changes after the next molt.
Sherry

Did the butterfly look normal?

The chrysalis turned black pretty quickly, as I recall, but I kept it anyway for many months. I had hoped that this was just another abnormal color variation, not a dead chrysalis, which is what a black one normally is. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, it was dead. I guess the genetic abnormality that caused the odd coloring was what kept it from becoming a butterfly.
Edith at the Shady Oak Butterfly Farm had a white one that DID become a butterfly - it was much paler than normal. Since the beauty of gulf frits is the intense color of the newly emerged adults, a pallid one isn't desirable anyway.
Sherry

Great learning experience for us new to butterfly gardening anyway. I wish I could take photos this nicely. :)