Chapter 733: Green Caterpillar, Get Daze!

With so many butterflies around, it was inevitable that some would land on people.

Ahead, a girl with braided hair had several butterflies perched on her arms, shoulders, and even hanging on her braids, fluttering around her.

Tang Xiaoxin couldn't help but softly exclaim, "Wow, she looks like a fragrant concubine!"

Qian Keke curiously observed, "Did she spray perfume? She's attracting butterflies like crazy."

As they were speaking, a black-and-white butterfly with a ribbon-like tail flapped its wings and landed on Tang Xiaoxin's shoulder.

Qian Keke was surprised, "Did you spray perfume too?"

Tang Xiaoxin didn't dare move, fearing she might scare it away. She glanced at the butterfly from the corner of her eye, feeling extremely delighted, "No, I didn't! Keke, quickly take a photo for me!"

Qian Keke looked at her pink dress and pondered, "Maybe it's the color of your dress that they like? The butterfly thinks you're a flower!"

She added enviously, "Ah, if I'd known, I would've worn something brighter too!"

She took out her phone and snapped a couple of photos of Tang Xiaoxin.

Tang Xiaoxin lifted her skirt and twirled lightly, laughing, "I am also a fragrant concubine!"

This experience was quite magical!

After a turn, the butterfly flapped its wings and gently flew away.

Qian Keke extended her hand, hoping to attract a butterfly. After a while, a butterfly indeed landed on her hand.

This butterfly had bright orange wings with black edges and two rows of small white dots, like pearls embedded on black silk. The wing tips had a white diagonal band made up of rod-like white spots.

In the bright sunlight, it had a semi-transparent appearance. The orange wings emitted a faint yellow glow, and the darker orange areas even appeared reddish, very beautiful.

Qian Keke exclaimed, "Wow, this one is so pretty!"

Tang Xiaoxin said, "It looks familiar, is it a monarch butterfly?"

It's not; this is a tiger butterfly, commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of southern China.

Monarch butterflies are found in the Americas, with bright orange wings and black bands with white spots, so they can be easily confused.

The tiger butterfly rested in Qian Keke's palm for a while before flying to a nearby fruit tray to sip the fruit juice.

The two had a lot of fun, but not everyone enjoyed having butterflies land on them!

Some people feel that butterflies are only to be admired from a distance, finding them beautiful from afar but getting goosebumps when they land on them.

This might be because they remember the butterflies were once caterpillars or are put off by the butterflies' bright warning colors.

A baby lying in a stroller saw a butterfly land on its forehead and froze, eyes wide in surprise.

The baby tried to look up but couldn't see the butterfly, crossing its eyes in confusion.

Seeing the baby's wise expression, the parents couldn't help but laugh and took a photo to remember the moment.

However, they also worried that the butterfly's scales might cause an allergic reaction on the baby's delicate skin, so they gently waved the butterfly away.

In the middle of the Butterfly Pavilion, there was a structure resembling a telephone booth!

When they approached, they found it was a large observation box.

Through the transparent glass, they could see several caterpillars crawling on green leaves.

Below the booth, information about the different developmental stages of butterflies was displayed.

A group of visitors, both young and old, curiously gathered around. A boy came over, looked inside, and exclaimed, "Whoa, a green caterpillar!"

The caterpillar looked exactly like the green caterpillar from the "Pokémon" game!

Its body was plump, with a light green color like tender leaves on its back and a milky white underside. It had a large head and a small tail, segmented into rings.

There were peculiar markings on its head, with a round black spot surrounded by a yellowish-green area, resembling an eye.

Compared to the spiky caterpillars, this one looked not scary at all, but rather cute.

The boy quickly took a couple of photos and eagerly shared them in a group chat: "I saw a wild green caterpillar at the Butterfly Pavilion today!"

Qian Keke, who also played Pokémon, felt a sense of familiarity seeing the green caterpillar.

A keeper nearby smiled and explained, "There's a Pokémon called Caterpie, and this caterpillar is its real-life counterpart! It's the larva of the citrus swallowtail butterfly.

When frightened, it extends a smelly gland from its head, emitting a foul odor. The gland looks like a snake's tongue, scaring off birds and other predators. Let me demonstrate."

The keeper opened the display case and gently touched the caterpillar's head with a finger. The caterpillar immediately extended an orange antenna from its head in anger.

Though it looked fragile, it tried to appear fierce.

With the "black eyes" on its head, it did resemble a snake flicking its tongue.

The boy's eyes widened, "Wow, it really is a green caterpillar! The antenna is just the same!"

Tang Xiaoxin couldn't help but ask, "Does it sting?"

The keeper laughed, "No, it doesn't. Would anyone like to touch it? Get up close and personal with the little critter."

The surrounding visitors quickly shook their heads, and some even took a step back instinctively!

"No need!"

"Haha, just looking is fine."

Although it was harmless and looked cute, they couldn't get over the psychological barrier.

Qian Keke, however, stepped forward and eagerly touched it.

She raised her hand, striking a dramatic pose, "Green Caterpillar, get daze!"

After shouting, she giggled.

After the brave kids had their turn, the keeper put the caterpillar back and closed the display case.

With the help of the display boards around the booth, the keeper continued to explain.

"When the citrus swallowtail butterfly's larvae first hatch, they are black and tiny, like ants. In the second instar, they grow to about 6mm long, with some pale white markings, resembling bird droppings. Isn't the camouflage impressive?

After each molt, their appetite increases significantly. At the fourth instar, they can eat more than ten leaves a day.

In the final larval stage, they eat continuously for a week to accumulate nutrients. Then, they find a secluded and safe place, secure themselves with silk, expel excess water and waste, and molt into a pupa."

In the illustration, the green caterpillar was perched on a branch, and the pupa was an irregular diamond shape!

"Whoa, a Metapod!"

"It looks exactly the same!"

The visitors whispered among themselves.

The keeper said, "After about ten days in the pupal stage, the Metapod will emerge. The emergence usually begins at dawn, with the back of the pupa splitting open. The butterfly crawls out, hangs upside down from a branch, and waits for its wings to dry before it can fly."

The citrus swallowtail butterfly has black and white wings with two ribbon-like tails.

Tang Xiaoxin saw the illustration and realized, "Oh, the butterfly that landed on me earlier was a citrus swallowtail!"