cewb-46475

Home on the Leaves

Black & White
Home on the Leaves by Minghui Yuan

Image details - Home on the Leaves

Photographer: Minghui Yuan (see profile)
Competition: Competition 19
Category: Black & White
Location: Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan, China

Description

I found a Cyana moth pupa in its protective cocoon on a newly grown tender leaf. In the larval stage they bite off their toxic hair like setae and use their sticky saliva to build their own houses. They use their own poisonous fur as building material, which can resist attacks from parasitic wasps and ants. In the cocoon, the pupa forms some very thin (and difficult to see) silk, hanging themselves in the air as if they were lying in a hammock, ready to start its transformation into a moth.

Awarded

Finalist - Black & White