El`Garemnta Butterfly

[Naomi]

Butterfly write up

Caolan spent some time studying these butterflies and these are his results of his studies:

The swallow-tailed El`Garemnta butterfly are found in the mines, grinding down the minerals in the rocks found there. The caterpillars themselves are actually a pale yellow with black stripes and spots when first emerging from their eggsm, small and delicate. As they grow, they moult twice, once to turn a light shade of green, their spots and stripes slowly fading to a pale grey. The second moult leaves them baby blue, with the palest of grey spots remaining, lines gone now.

The spot for the chrysalis is best around the outcroppings and ledges that the rocks create in the caves, anywhere that they can be protected, typically hanging, or wedged into a small crack. When forming the chrysalis, it takes approximately two days for it to be encased, and five full days for the butterfly to form. Typically, the chrysalis is pale, slowly changing color as the blue of the insect darkens during formation. Upon eclose, or emergence, the butterfly needs roughly 5 hours because of the lack of sunlight to aid in the drying process.

The facial features of these butterflies are in no way similar to the ones we are aware of already, no proboscis to be spoken up, but indeed they are flat-faced with grinding teeth within their small mouths. This does not mean that the butterflies are cannibalistic, or omnivorous in any way, but instead they chew on the rocks surrounding them for required nutrition. No other food source has been observed, the butterflies seen around mineral pools that gather here and there within the caves they call home. Not even chewing on the bones of the deceased can be seen but only in desperate situations, and only to gain enough energy to get them back home. Their feet aren't fuzzy but are indeed equipped with little gripping toes to ensure they could latch onto the best feeding spots.

An odd thing about these butterflies is that they cannot process magnesium properly, a mineral directly ingested from the rocks they chew upon. As a result, over the next several months of their lifespan the butterflies create a strange blueish powder that coats them and their wings. Studies have shown that when mephos are nearby, they are calmed by this powder that becomes airborne when the butterflies move about looking for fresh rock. Some mephos have even been known to 'keep' butterflies so they can enjoy their powder on a regular basis, gathering specific rocks that the butterflies prefer.