Metamorphosis Of a Caterpillar into a Butterfly

Serena Juma

David Kopp

English 271

13 November 2011

            Life is the most precious thing anyone could give or have.  Understanding the process of how life is given is knowledge.  An example with several very vivid stages is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  Two insects that are so distinguishably different were once the same.  An overview of the four stages that facilitate in the occurrence of metamorphosis will shed light on the 5 stages the caterpillar undergoes in its lifetime.

The first stage of a caterpillar’s life is the egg.  Caterpillars are extremely picky about their diet, and usually only eat one type of plant.  As soon as a mother butterfly finds an accommodating host plant for her eggs, she lays them and leaves them to defend for themselves. 

The next stage is the larval period, or more commonly referred to as the caterpillar.  During this period, the larva is subjected to 5 steps of molting in order to transform.  Three to seven days later, the larva hatch, and are in the form known as first instar.  A caterpillar’s objective is to eat, in order to grow and become a butterfly, and the process before doing so takes 2-5 weeks depending on conditions.  Varying upon the species, the larva will eat the egg’s hard shell for sustenance, or they will start eating the host plants.  The excessive eating causes the larva to become too big for it’s skin, so it grows a new one underneath the old, and then proceeds to molt out of the smaller skin.  This is referred to as the second instar.  The third instar is much like the second, with the only difference being that the caterpillar has once again increased in size.  In both these steps, the caterpillar appears to look like bird droppings in order to protect itself.  The third instar caterpillar also eats and grows until it is too big for its skin.  Afterwards, it molts again, and the insect with its new skin is referred to as a fourth instar caterpillar.  A caterpillar this far into its transformation begins to change color and has a more “smooth” appearance, like a snake.  The change in appearance facilitates the camouflage function to make it look like the host plant.  The final step, known as the fifth instar is the last time the caterpillar will molt, and is now ready to pupate and become a butterfly. 

The third stage is the chrysalis; the caterpillar will mummify itself in preparation for its metamorphosis.  The caterpillar will attach itself to the base of a plant’s stem, and then proceed to spin a silk thread around itself to hold the chrysalis in place.  Meanwhile, underneath the caterpillar’s skin, the pupal shell begins to develop, and depending on the species it takes many different forms.  This is what defines what the butterfly will look like.  Once securely in place, the exoskeleton will spilt open, and expose the pupa.  The average time in the chrysalis stage is about one to two weeks, varying with the species. 

After climbing out of its old body, the final stage is complete; the caterpillar is now a butterfly.  The butterfly is still not yet ready to fly away and start its life.  The cramped conditions of the previous body cause the butterfly’s wings to be crumpled and wet when it emerges.  It will hang off a branch with its wings down, and will begin to pump fluids to the veins in its wings by flapping them.  The wings become fully straightened out through this instinctual process, and then the butterfly must wait several hours for its wings to harder.  Now, the new butterfly may spread its wings and take off. 

The sole purpose for this incredibly elaborate 5-stage process is to reproduce, to spread ones genes in distant places.  With the average lifespan of a butterfly being about two weeks, they don’t have a single second to spare!

What is Envy?

            Think back to when you were in elementary school.  Did one of your friends ever get a new toy you wanted before you?  Being envious of another is an emotion that is hard to shake off when you see something you desire so strongly.  According to Miriam-Webster, the definition of envy is “painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.”  A selfish wanting takes priority over other thought processes.  When one is content with their life, and want nothing more, then they are envious of nothing.  Envy is the selfish desire for what one doesn’t or can’t have because his or her life feels unfulfilled.

            The word envy roots from around the 10^th century, and was a derivative of the Latin word “invidia.”  From there, Old French in the 13^th century referred to it as “envie.” The emotion of envy has been around since the dawn of man.  The Bible states that humans “must not fall into the trap of envying of the wicked who seem to have a happy and untroubled life, but… God will reward each according to his deeds.”  The lust for what another owns is not what one truly wants, it is what he or she thinks will make them happy because someone else finds pleasure in the same thing.  As this quote states, all have different needs, and envy hinders man from seeing what will truly satisfy him.  If man knew what he truly wanted and how to get it, then envy would not exist. The opposite of being envious is being pleased.  When a friend gets a better grade than you, you might be proud of them, but subconsciously you feel resentful towards them for achieving a goal you were both striving for.  That’s what envy is; it’s not a feeling that’s easy to overcome, it’s involuntarily thinking of oneself first.  The only limitations of envy’s capabilities are that it’s an emotion that’s nearly impossible to control, and cannot bring happiness to those who are subjected to it.  If one is envious of another, then he or she is not pleased with them self, and seeks what others find pleasurable.  Being envious is a sign that one is not contented with his or her life, and is in search of the missing piece.

            Warning signs of envy can either be noticeable or subtle to the subject and receiver.  In smaller doses, envy can appear to be a form of flattery, like emulating small behaviors or looks.  Although this seems like a positive reflection of a friendship, it shows that the person emulating is lost and doesn’t know what they want, so they try to copy others who have the traits they admire, thus losing their identity of who they are.  In larger doses, being envious of someone is seen as being competitive or angry towards them.  Once this happens, the green-eyed monster takes over, and unleashes the subject’s insecurities upon those with their desired traits.  It’s a unique feeling because it masks true feelings of selfishness, low self-confidence, anger, and unhappiness.  When one cannot find what is worth living for, they look to others for inspiration, but act upon the motivation it in a selfish way that is not their own.  Instead of rejoicing in a friend’s achievement, and working towards it as well, an envious person will simply contemplate why their friend deserved it more than his or herself.  Jealousy and envy are often used interchangeably because they both concern the possession of something, and are selfish.  The difference is that jealousy is the fear of losing the affection or connection that one has with something.  Envy is the strong desire for what one has, but the subject isn’t concerned about losing anyone or anything, they are only concerned about their goal.  Jealousy is focused on the fear of losing the receiver’s attention, while envy makes the subject feel like they’re competing with the receiver.

            Envy’s affects can either be positive or negative, depending on how envious the subject is of another person.  If one is envious of one’s talent, it can motivate them to work for that skill.  If a teenager sees their idol playing a guitar, it can inspire them to take up music lessons.  This type of envy can be seen as a driving force to help someone define him or herself.  When presented in more unobtainable situations, it conveys a strong sense of dissatisfaction with one's life and a strong sense of possessiveness and materialism.  By trying to achieve what others did, one might go overboard, by stealing or prioritizing his or her interests above others.  Envy can only be a positive force if it’s used as help to motivate, but most of the time, envy selfishly consumes the mind and people lose sight of what they truly need and yearn.

            Envy will always be present in humans, to desire is something all humans face in order to progress in society.  Once selfish thoughts are eliminated from the human mind, then envy will be no longer.  Once one discovers who they are, the want for what they don’t have will vanish.  The fascination and desire of the unobtainable blocks the path to true happiness; humans think they need what others have.  Everyone is different, and what pleases one does not please all.  Looking more in depth at this emotion has given me the insight that I should always be myself because it’s the only source of true happiness.  Trying to be anything but you will reinforce a lack of self-confidence, which is something everyone needs to achieve anything in life.

Prepare yourself!

Serena Juma

I’ve lived in Bellevue my entire life, and usually, nothing out of the ordinary happens.  When I was in first grade, I sat through my first earthquake.  At first, I heard this almost loud tapping sound, which was followed by the ground quivering beneath me.  I followed my instinct, and got half way under my desk, but noticed no one else was ducking.  As I popped back up, my teacher reassured the class that there were workers on the roof, but when a more thunderous shake came about, we dove for the ground.  No one was expecting an earthquake in boring, old Bellevue.  My personal experience has taught me to always anticipate and prepare for the worst when you live in an area that is at risk.

            Even though that was ten years ago, the memory of February 22, 2001 hasn’t diluted from in my mind.  Earthquakes are taken more seriously now that the people of the greater Seattle area have experienced one in their lifetimes.  I have observed that there are more frequently earthquake drills in Bellevue School District, and people are more aware that the Juan De Fuca plate is right on the coastline.  Although the magnitude was 6.8, the Nisqually Earthquake was not detrimental due to the focus depth being 51 feet.  The focus depth of an earthquake affects the severity of the tremors; the deeper it is, the less violently the ground shakes.  Washington is at risk of earthquakes because it’s on the coast and right by a fault line.  Because of this, Washingtonians take precautionary measures to avoid casualties and detrimental damage to buildings.  So, if a quake does happen, it doesn’t stop people from living their daily lives.

            Earthquakes can happen unexpectedly anywhere on the planet.  One could happen somewhere that hasn’t had a quake in many lifetimes, like Haiti’s first earthquake in 240 years, in January 2010.  Or, one could occur where the majority of the population has experienced at least one throughout their lifetime.  An example would be Chile, with the largest earthquake ever recorded in 1960. People that live in high-risk areas for earthquakes are ready for one when it hits.  In Chile, the majority of their buildings are designed with earthquakes in mind, and the Chilean citizens have been trained to stay put and get under cover.  On February 27, 2010, Chile experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8, with a total of 512 casualties.  On January 12^th, 2010, Haiti endured a 7.0 magnitude quake, and more than 230,000 lives were lost.  This shows that being prepared for an earthquake can save hundred of thousands of lives.  Knowing that one could occur, and how to protect yourself ensures order. The citizens of Chile were not chaotic and frantic when it happened; they got under furniture for cover and buildings still stood tall.  But, for places that earthquakes aren’t as prominent in, the people have less knowledge about what to do when one happens, and how to ensure that little damage is done.  Therefore, the outcomes are more severe.  This is why Haiti faced such horror in 2010, and had 540x as many deaths as Chile when it had a harder-hitting earthquake.  Most major cities in the world are built on the coastline and near fault lines.  This is due to the usage of ports and necessity of water, but this choice puts people at high risk for a natural disaster.  The areas that choose to prepare, are the places that are most prosperous due the fact that there is less damage to repair afterwards.

            When two solid substances grind against each other, there is going to be friction that causes shaking; this is what an earthquake is.  The severity of the earthquake can also be based on the type of fault that it is caused by.  Normal faults are the type of cracks where one plate is sliding away from another. These faults are common where a plate is slowly splitting apart or where two plates are pulling away from each other.  Reverse faults are cracks that are formed when a plate is thrust against another one. They also occur when a plate is being folded up because a different plate is compressing it.  Strike-slip faults are known as the cracks between two plates that are sliding past each other.  The type of rupture that caused the Chile earthquake was a “mega-thrust fault alone a subduction zone offshore.”  This is a type of reverse fault, but occurs at the plate boundaries and creates a large quake.  The Haiti earthquake was caused by “thrust faulting along a strike-slip system,” which is a strike-slip, but occurs in a crack of earth, so the pressure is relieved.  Even with a more fatal type of fault, Chile still received less damage because it’s in a high-risk area and was prepared because they frequently occur there. 

            After experiencing a significant earthquake, I was more aware of the reasons why Washington prepares for them.  No one saw it coming, and neither did anyone else that has experienced one.  Even the citizens of Chile and Haiti didn’t know an earthquake was going to happen before it hit.  The only thing that humans can do is to anticipate and be ready for when one does happen.