"Ready To Fly"

This is a Gulf Fritillary butterfly. I found its Chrysalis a few days ago attached to a Passion Vine in the backyard. I moved the Chrysalis to my screen porch so I could see the butterfly when it  emerged but I missed it! When I checked it this morning, the Chrysalis was already empty... the  Fritillary's wings were  dry & it was flying around the porch & on the floor looking for a way out....  I took a few quick pictures before catching it & setting it free...

Gulf Fritillary

"Mr. Handsome"

My little buddy, Griswald...

Griswald

"My Girl"

One way to cool off fast & rest at the same time...

Kya

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar & Chrysalis

This Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar is munching away on what's left of a leaf on the very tip of a Passion Vine...

I found this Fritillary Chrysalis attached to the lower, leafier part of the same plant ...

Curled-Up & Ready To Create A Chrysalis

This Monarch Caterpillar attached itself to the clothes- drying rack on my screen porch. This is the first time I've found a caterpillar curled up like this & ready to pupate (transform into a chrysalis). You can see the small patch of white silk it made to attach itself to the wood. The next morning, I found the new chrysalis & another caterpillar hanging in the shape of a J. Now there are 2 chrysalis and they'll be ready to emerge in about 7-14 days. Amazing!!!

Baby Sea Turtles

These baby sea turtles are on the first floor of the FAU Research Facility at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. The turtles are tethered with fishing line to the pvc pipes that you see taped in place across the top of the tank. The baby turtles are kept separated this way so that they won't harm each other. I took this picture from the 2nd floor gallery, which is open to the public. These turtles are being studied as part of the ongoing research conducted by FAU's Department of Biological Sciences.

Scorpion Fish Or Yip-Yips?

I don't know if anyone else remembers the Yip-Yips from Sesame Street but they were little creatures from outer space who would travel to Sesame Street in their spaceship....anyway, the fish in the background reminds me of  them because of his big eye. These are Plumed Scorpion Fish and they live in a small tank in the FAU Research Gallery at The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida...

There's Always Something New To Discover At Gumbo Limbo

This Plumed Scorpion Fish is in one of the smaller tanks in the FAU Research Gallery at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. He/she is one of two that share the tank with some sea urchins, small fish & an anemone...The little Flounder was in an isolation tank all by itself...

PLUMED SCORPION FISH

FLOUNDER

Ready to Be Released

This is "Coastie", one of the Sea Turtles that was rescued & brought to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Fl during January's cold spell. Coastie has been recuperating in the Turtle Rehabilitation Center & one of the things he was being treated for is a virus. The white coating that you see on parts of Coastie's' shell is where his shell was shedding & peeling as a result of the virus. The staff said that Coastie is finally healthy enough to return to the ocean & there was a chance that Coastie might be released today.

  

Spiny Lobster Leg

The Spiny Lobster has 5 pairs of legs.  Here's one of this lobsters' legs that it used for walking...

Spiny Lobsters Have A Pair of Horns Over Their Eyes

The Spiny Lobster has a pair of large, hooked horns which extend over their eyes...

Spiny Lobster Shell At Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

This exoskeleton, belonged to a female Spiny Lobster at The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Fl. She was molting & split her shell in half where her body met her tail so that  she could crawl out & leave her shell behind. Usually, lobsters will bury themselves in the mud & sand or hide under rocks until they grow a new shell, which takes 2 weeks to a month. Unfortunately, this lobster (I think her name was Butter) was eaten by the Moray Eel who lived in the same outdoor tank with her.

After molting, the lobsters will usually eat their empty shell to replenish the supply of calcium that they'll need to harden their new shell....but in this case, the lobster (Butter) was eaten before she had time to devour her shell & find a safe place to hide from predators. Instead of claws like Atlantic/American lobsters, Spiny Lobsters have 5 pairs of walking legs. Next to Horseshoe Crabs, lobsters are my favorite sea creatures.

Intact Spiny Lobster Exoskeleton At Gumbo Limbo Nature Center