Kapus Mochi

The Kapus Mochi is a species of butterfly found in most regions of Mirateia, they are an iconic pollinator and are treasured by gardeners both as a sign of a healthy garden but also for their beautiful colours.
The Kapus Mochi migrates from inland where they have been hiding during the colder and wetter months of the year but during the warm season, they mograte from their hiding spots to the coast and all other regions, scholars have found populations of the Kapus Mochi as far as the White mountains in the east, a small mountain range that is roughly 50 km off the eastern mainland coast.
The life cycle of the Kapus Mochi consists of four stages, egg, larva, pupa, and adult, the Mochi transition from eggs to adults during the warm summer when the temperatures are best suited for this, from pupa to adult takes about 12 days but if its a colder summer, it can take up to a month. 
The eggs of the Kapus Mochi range from cream-coloured to a pale green colour, depending on where the eggs are laid, the eggs are laid one by one and normally on the underside of a leaf or branch, basically anything the female butterfly finds suitable. From they are laid they take about 5-7 days to develop into a larvae.
The stage of larva takes around two weeks and during this stage, they develop from when they first came out of the egg to be ready for pupating, during this time they develop their famous colours that kids seem to find interesting on the larva.
Once the larva have found a safe space, the process of pupation begins, where the larva spins pads of silk around its body and this hardens into a form for exoskeleton within a day of having been spun, this process of pupeting takes around 8-15 days after which they emerge and are ready to begin their adult life of pollinating flowers and seek out mates.

Lifespan

2-3 years

Average Length

8.9–10.2 cm

by Sid Mosdell from New Zealand