アゲハ蝶の変態
Swallowtail butterfly metamorphosis
小さなミカンの苗木に夏も終わりのある日アゲハの幼虫を発見。以前育てたアゲハの子孫かと思い、今回も育てることにした。One late summer day, I discovered a swallowtail caterpillar on a small mandarin sapling. I wondered if it might be a descendant of the swallowtail I raised before, and decided to raise it again.
今回初めて、蛹の設営のタイミングに遭遇した。ミカンの木の大きな葉を１０枚ほど数日で食べ尽くすと、虫かごから脱出を謀っている。前回虫かごに放置したところ蛹からの脱皮に失敗したことから、今回は虫かごから出して蛹にしようと考えた。For the first time, I witnessed the moment when the caterpillar prepares to pupate. After devouring about ten large leaves of the mandarin tree within a few days, it began attempting to escape from its cage. The last time I left the caterpillar in the cage, it failed to emerge from the chrysalis successfully, so this time I decided to let it out and help it pupate.
苗木の他いろいろな植物が植わっている植木鉢の真ん中に、蛹を設営するのにちょうどよい菜箸を立て、誘導したが、菜箸の頂点まで行ってから、満足しない様子で降りてくる。そして鉢の隅々を延々とめぐり、探索は終わる様子がない。In the middle of a potted plant, where various plants besides the sapling were growing, I stood a chopstick, thinking it would be the perfect place for the chrysalis. I guided the caterpillar toward it, but after climbing to the top, it seemed dissatisfied and came back down. It then wandered endlessly around the edges of the pot, never seeming to finish its exploration.
ずっと見ているわけにもいかないので網をかけて外に出しておくと、朝になると当初登った菜箸の真ん中に蛹となっていた。Since I couldn’t watch it all the time, I placed a net over the pot and left it outside. By the next morning, it had settled on the middle of the chopstick where it initially climbed and had become a chrysalis.
植木鉢という小さな世界の中であったが、当初の提示にそのまま満足することなく、自ら世界を調べつくし、その中で最適解を選択するというプロセスは見ていて感動的だった。Though it was in a small world inside a potted plant, the process of the caterpillar not being content with the first option presented to it, instead exploring the world thoroughly and choosing the best solution, was impressive to watch.
親が子供に良かれと思って、いろいろな提案をする。でも、子供は自らの力で最適解を探し、それを選択する。その選択が当初親の提案と同一であったとしても、その結論に自らの力で辿り着いたということが重要だ。最後うまくいかなかった場合も、それは親の選択のせいではなく、自らの選択のせいであるということだ。これは刻々と変わる環境の中で、親の選択が必ずしも最適ではない可能性を補うという実利的な意味もあるだろう。It reminded me of how parents often make suggestions they believe are good for their children. However, children ultimately find and choose the best solution on their own. Even if their final choice coincides with what the parent originally proposed, what matters is that they arrived at that conclusion through their own efforts. And if things don’t turn out well in the end, it’s not because of the parent's choice but because of their own. This process also has practical significance, as it allows for the possibility that the parent's choice may not always be the best option in an ever-changing environment.
おっと、イモムシ君にあまりに感情移入しすぎ、自らの子育てをイモムシ君に投影してしまったようだ。イモムシ君の親はそもそも産みっぱなしなので、蛹の設営場所はどのみち自分で探すしかない。Oops, I think I’ve become too emotionally invested in the little caterpillar, projecting my own parenting onto it. After all, the caterpillar’s parent simply left it after laying the eggs, so the caterpillar has no choice but to find its own place to pupate.