Thursday, March 05, 2009

Inside the cocoon

What's inside? I knew there was something. I could hear it rattle, and peering through the moth's escape hole I could see something dark. So I cut one open. It was satisfying, like breaking into a tomb, and the compacted layers of silk just the right thickness and resistance to my sharp, thin-bladed knife. It revealed this


the discarded outer casing of the pupa like darkly polished breast plates of some ancient hardwood, and something less discernible, maybe excreta of a sort...

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4 Comments:

Blogger Jud said...

Seems fairly cozy in there.

Thu Mar 05, 03:01:00 pm  
Blogger Clare Dudman said...

Yes, seems almost as inviting as a shell (my preferred location).

Thu Mar 05, 07:22:00 pm  
Blogger jem said...

Wow - thanks for this glimpse. As Jud said, cozy springs to mind. The cocoon is thicker than I expected too. I thought of explorers enterting pyramid tombs when I read this post - I hope you are not cursed!

Sun Mar 08, 10:58:00 am  
Blogger Clare Dudman said...

Yes, Jem - surprsingly thick and quite strong, rigid and waterproof - amazing qualities for something created by an insect. Ha, yes, I hope I'm not curse too! I'll let you know!

Sun Mar 08, 01:12:00 pm  

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