0:01

Hey, smarty pants. I'm

0:03

just here in my garden watering my tomato

0:06

plant. Psst,

0:08

trusty narrator. Is that you? Who

0:11

said that? Down here on the leaf. Oh,

0:14

hey. It's a caterpillar. But

0:16

wait. How do you know my name?

0:18

I'm a big fan. I'm

0:22

about to be wrapped in a cocoon soon, so I'm loading up

0:24

on Who Smarted episodes so I won't get bored.

0:27

Wow. Wow. I'm

0:30

flattered. Speaking of Who Smarted, I've

0:32

always wanted to do an episode

0:34

on caterpillars and butterflies. Do

0:37

you have some spare time to talk to us? You

0:39

mean talk to you and all the

0:41

smarty pants listening? Why, I'd

0:43

love to. OMG,

0:46

I'm going to be famous. What

0:48

do you want to know? Oh, FYI,

0:51

my name is Carlene, but my

0:53

friends call me Cece. But

0:55

I've been listening to you so long, I

0:57

consider you a friend. So you

0:59

can call me Cece. Wow. Where

1:02

do I begin? How about the

1:04

beginning? Great. First, I

1:06

was an egg. But I

1:08

don't really remember much. I understand

1:10

that butterfly eggs are tiny, like

1:12

the dot you'd make with a pencil point. Many

1:15

common garden butterflies lay eggs that

1:18

are light colored, often yellowish. Eggs

1:20

can vary in shape and color, depending

1:23

on the species. But without magnification, it

1:25

can be hard to spot the differences.

1:28

Wow. You know more about butterfly

1:30

eggs than I do. And I was

1:32

inside of one. I read a

1:34

lot. But this

1:37

is an amazing opportunity to talk to

1:39

you and get answers to questions that

1:41

I've always wondered about. Like, how

1:43

and why do caterpillars turn into butterflies?

1:46

How do you make a cocoon? And what happens inside

1:48

of it? And why do

1:50

butterflies have such pretty wings? Is

1:54

it that time? Yep, it's time

1:56

for another whiff of science on... Who's

2:00

smarted? Who's smarted? Who's

2:06

smart? Is it you? Is

2:08

it me? Is it science

2:11

or history? Listen up. Everyone,

2:14

we make smarting

2:16

lots of fun on who's smarted.

2:20

Hey, smarty fans. Your pal, Trusty, has

2:22

a gift for you, a

2:25

seven-day free trial of Who's

2:27

Smarted Plus. That's right.

2:29

If you sign up for Who's

2:31

Smarted Plus, you'll get one week

2:33

of free access to all our

2:35

subscriber episodes and bonus smarty cues

2:38

all ad-free. Parents,

2:40

educators, and smarty pants have been

2:42

letting us know how much they

2:44

love their Who's Smarted Plus subscriptions.

2:46

Now's your chance to see what all the

2:48

excitement is about. Again, this

2:51

offer is 100% free. You

2:53

can cancel any time within the trial week. But

2:56

I have a feeling you're going to want

2:58

to stick around for all the exciting adventures

3:00

and extra smarting. Sign up

3:02

now, write an Apple Podcast, or

3:05

on who's smarted.com. Just click join

3:07

Who's Smarted Plus. Thanks

3:09

for smarting with us and supporting Who's

3:11

Smarted. Don't

3:14

you just love parsley? I

3:17

usually think of it more as a

3:19

garnish, personally. I love parsley.

3:21

I love to eat. I

3:24

was in an egg for about four to

3:26

nine days, which is the average

3:28

hatching time for most species. I've

3:30

read that butterflies lay hundreds of eggs

3:32

in their lifetime. But not too

3:34

many of them actually grow up

3:36

to be butterflies. That's true.

3:39

There's many hazards in the wild. Birds,

3:43

lizards, beetles,

3:48

spiders, and

3:50

of course humans. We

3:53

do need to munch on your plants to

3:55

survive. And not everyone

3:57

likes sharing their parsley, carrots, dill.

4:00

or fennel with a hungry

4:02

caterpillar. I

4:06

remember reading a book about a very

4:08

hungry caterpillar when I was a kid.

4:11

Yep, that's a fun story. But

4:14

in real life, caterpillars are way

4:16

more sensible eaters. Most

4:18

caterpillar species eat only leaves and

4:20

many eat only one specific kind

4:22

of leaf. And while some

4:25

of us might nibble fruits or a

4:27

plant, we'd never eat

4:29

ice cream, salami, and

4:31

cupcakes. We'd

4:33

explode. Yikes! One

4:36

thing the book does get right is

4:38

how caterpillars eat more and more as

4:41

we grow. Caterpillars

4:45

go through five growth stages

4:47

called instars. Each stage

4:49

we shed our skin and replace it with

4:51

a bigger skin. The

4:54

bigger we get, the more we munch. But

4:59

remember, a caterpillar is just the larval

5:02

stage of a butterfly or moth. I'm

5:06

near the end of my caterpillar

5:08

cycle, and soon I'll return as

5:11

a black swallowtail butterfly. Ooh,

5:16

where can the smarty pants find a

5:19

black swallowtail butterfly? Black

5:21

swallowtails are pretty common and have

5:23

a wide habitat range in eastern

5:25

and central North America. We

5:28

can be spotted in meadows

5:30

and fields near purple cornflowers,

5:32

milkweeds, and zinnias. And

5:35

what will you look like? I'll be

5:37

mostly black with two rows of

5:39

white dots on my wings. I'll

5:42

also have some blue dots and

5:44

two orange swirls. Black

5:46

swallowtails are distinctive because we

5:48

grow quite large. I'll

5:51

have a wingspan of nearly four

5:53

inches. That's about the size

5:55

of a toilet paper roll. So tell me, what do

5:58

you need to do to prepare to be colorless? a

6:00

black swallowtail butterfly? Well, for

6:02

one thing... Pardon

6:06

me, trusty narrator, I have to munch

6:08

between sentences. I've been a caterpillar for

6:10

about a month now, and

6:13

I have to gobble up as many tasty

6:15

leaves as I can so I'll have plenty

6:17

of nutrients to help me grow inside my

6:19

cocoon. It's

6:22

okay. Eat up, Cece. I can barely sit through

6:24

a movie without a snack. I

6:27

can't imagine going through an entire transformation. Yep.

6:30

That time I spend in my cocoon

6:33

will last longer than every single Marvel

6:35

and DC movie ever made. With

6:39

no snacks. Whoa. Um,

6:42

Cece, I think you might be shedding. Ah,

6:44

so I am. Like

6:47

I said, caterpillars shed their skin,

6:49

or molt, at every growth stage.

6:52

I've already molted four times. This

6:55

is my last molt, and soon I'll

6:57

build my cocoon. Hey,

7:00

smarty pants, do you know how much

7:02

caterpillars can grow from the time

7:04

they hatch until they're fully grown and ready

7:06

to transform? Is it A,

7:08

two times their size, B,

7:10

ten times their size, C,

7:13

fifty times their size, or D,

7:15

one hundred times their size? If

7:19

you said D, you're right. Caterpillars

7:22

grow from the size of a grain of

7:24

quinoa to around two inches long, which

7:26

is a little longer than a AA battery. I

7:30

know, that still seems small, but

7:32

that's about one hundred times their

7:34

original size. Whoa.

7:37

Once I reach my final length and goal

7:39

weight of about three grams, I'll

7:42

stop eating and become what's known as

7:44

a pupa or chrysalis. And

7:46

what happens during the pupa or chrysalis stage?

7:50

Well, there's a nice part and a gross

7:52

part. First, I pick

7:54

a spot for my cocoon. It

7:56

could be suspended from a branch,

7:58

hidden by leaves, or... buried underground.

8:01

Most caterpillars like to hang upside down.

8:05

Hmm, the underside of this magnolia branch

8:07

here looks safe to me. Then

8:09

what? It's cocoon time. I

8:12

use the glands near my mouth to create

8:15

silk, which I can attach to the

8:17

spot where I wanna hang. Then

8:19

I use a hook-covered appendage called

8:21

a cremaster to hang on. I

8:25

keep spinning silk around and around until

8:27

I'm all cozy and wrapped up like

8:29

I'm in a sleeping bag. Are

8:33

there different kinds of cocoons, or are they all

8:35

the same? Some caterpillars build

8:37

loose, comfy cocoons, while

8:40

others build very strong, tightly

8:42

woven cocoons. One

8:46

species, the orange-spotted tiger clearwing,

8:49

from the rainforests of South America,

8:52

builds a cocoon that looks like chrome,

8:55

and cleverly reflects all the colors

8:57

of the rainforest as camouflage. Smarty

9:02

Pants, how long do most pupae,

9:05

or chrysalis, remain in their cocoons?

9:07

Is it A, eight to 12 days, B,

9:10

two to three weeks, C,

9:12

two to four months, or D, one

9:15

to two years? If

9:18

you said A, you got it. Most

9:22

butterfly species emerge from their

9:24

cocoons in about one to two

9:26

weeks. Although, some

9:28

species remain pupa for

9:30

months, and a few species

9:32

will remain in their cocoons for up

9:34

to two years. Wow, you could listen

9:37

to 100,000 Who's

9:39

Smarted episodes in that time. Next

9:42

comes the gross part. Are

9:44

you ready? What do you think, Smarty

9:47

Pants? Should we hear the gross part? Okay,

9:49

let us have it. So,

9:51

once I must snug as a

9:53

bug in a rug, wrapped

9:56

inside my cozy cocoon, I

9:59

shed my exo- completely,

10:02

and then release digestive

10:04

enzymes, which break down

10:06

my muscle and tissue cells, into

10:09

a kind of pupa soup. Gross!

10:14

I warned you. But

10:17

hey, transformation isn't easy,

10:20

and it's all part of

10:22

the glorious process known as

10:24

metamorphosis. For

10:29

about one to two weeks, I shed the

10:31

old me, and develop new

10:33

cells that'll become my legs,

10:35

antenna, and wings. I'll

10:40

start out as a little pupa, with as

10:42

few as 50 cells. Aww! And

10:46

grow to have more than 50,000 cells

10:48

as a full-grown butterfly. Weee!

10:54

That's exciting! But wait, how do you

10:56

get out of your cocoon? Once

10:58

all my butterfly parts are fully

11:01

formed, I'll go through the process

11:03

of eclosion, where

11:05

I release a hormone to soften my

11:07

cocoon so it'll stretch, allowing

11:11

me to get out. Nice!

11:15

Oh boy, I'm starting to make silk. Time

11:17

for me to cocoon. Um,

11:20

I take it you won't be able to talk

11:22

to me from inside your cocoon? Nope.

11:25

Tell you what, trusty narrator, let's meet

11:27

back here in two weeks when I

11:30

emerge a fabulous butterfly.

11:36

Right now, it's time

11:38

to... metamorphosize.

11:43

Alright, smarty pants, we'll be back with

11:45

Cece the butterfly after this quick break.

11:50

Hola! Bonjour! Hello! Nihau! Ciao! Hey smarty

11:52

fans, I'm learning to say hello in

11:54

lots of different languages. Of course, learning

11:57

a new language is a great way

11:59

to learn a new language. is hard

12:01

and expensive and requires lots of books,

12:03

private tutors, and courses. Right? Wrong.

12:06

All you need is this sound.

12:09

That's the sound of Babbel, the science-backed

12:11

language learning app that's teaching me and

12:13

millions of others across all age groups

12:16

how to learn new languages in a

12:18

way that actually works. And

12:20

Babbel's quick 10-minute lessons will have

12:22

you speaking a new language in

12:24

as little as three weeks. Trust

12:27

me, a subscription to Babbel is

12:29

like having a language school in

12:32

your pocket, including lessons, demos, and

12:34

pronunciation tests that will have you

12:36

quickly and confidently having conversations in

12:39

other languages. And

12:41

just for Who Smarted

12:43

listeners, there's a special

12:45

limited time offer. Right

12:47

now, get up to

12:49

60% off your Babbel

12:51

subscription at babel.com/smarted. Again,

12:54

this is only for

12:56

our listeners. Get up

12:58

to 60% off at

13:00

babel.com/smarted spelled babbel.com/smarted. Rules

13:02

and restrictions may apply.

13:05

This message is sponsored by Greenlight.

13:07

Hey, smarty adults, as you know,

13:09

Who Smarted is all about teaching

13:11

young smarty pants about, well, everything.

13:13

And what better thing for kids

13:15

and teens to learn about than

13:17

the value of money. That's why

13:19

I'm happy to bring you this

13:21

message sponsored by our friends at

13:23

Greenlight. Greenlight is a debit card

13:25

and money app made for families.

13:27

It's the perfect way for parents

13:29

to broach the topic of money

13:31

and help teach their kids and

13:33

teens how to manage, save, and

13:36

spend money in a fun, accessible

13:38

way while still under a watchful

13:40

eye. I wish I had

13:42

Greenlight growing up. Seeing how Greenlight has enabled

13:44

the kids in my family to learn how

13:46

to budget and make good financial decisions assures

13:49

me they'll be set up to handle future

13:51

finances in a really smart way. I

13:54

can't stress enough what a

13:56

helpful tool this is to

13:58

sign up for Greenlight today

14:00

and get your first month

14:02

free. go to greenlight.com/smarted. That's

14:04

greenlight.com/smarted to try greenlight for

14:06

free. Hey smarty fans,

14:08

especially any future entrepreneurs or

14:10

small business owners listening. I

14:13

am so excited to speak

14:15

to you on behalf of

14:17

our new sponsor, Squarespace. Squarespace

14:19

is the place to help

14:21

you create beautiful websites, engage

14:23

with your customers or audience,

14:25

and sell anything from products

14:27

to content to time. Whether

14:29

you're just starting out or

14:31

managing a growing brand, Squarespace

14:33

is the all-in-one website platform

14:35

that lets you stand out

14:37

and succeed all on your terms.

14:40

I've personally used Squarespace to quickly

14:42

launch websites without needing to hire

14:45

a whole team or spend a

14:47

ton of money. Simply put, Squarespace

14:49

is the easiest, best way to

14:51

get your website up and running

14:54

in hours, not weeks. To check

14:56

out what Squarespace can do for

14:58

you, go to squarespace.com backslash smarted

15:00

to save 10% off

15:02

your first purchase of a website

15:05

or domain. Again, go to squarespace.com

15:07

backslash smarted to save 10%.

15:09

Thanks! Now

15:12

back to Who Smarted. Through

15:16

the magic of podcast editing, it is now...

15:20

Two weeks later.

15:24

Three weeks later.

15:27

Free at last. CC,

15:29

you did it! You're a beautiful butterfly.

15:32

Say, smarty pants, why are

15:34

butterflies called butterflies? Is

15:36

it A, because of their wings? B,

15:39

because of how they fly? Or

15:41

C, because of their poop? If

15:45

you said C, poop, you're

15:47

right! Dutch

15:53

scientists were studying butterflies long ago,

15:55

and they noticed that their poop,

15:57

which is officially called frass, looked

15:59

like... butter. So

16:01

they named this insect the butterfly.

16:04

Speaking of flying, check out these wings.

16:09

They're awesome, Cece. How do they feel? A

16:11

bit crumpled, but I'll

16:14

just pump them full of fluid from my body to straighten

16:16

them out. Then they'll harden

16:18

and dry so I can use my four

16:20

wings. Four wings? Yep,

16:22

I've got two forewings and two hind

16:24

wings. How do your wings work?

16:27

Well, us butterflies have scales on our wings

16:29

that have a sharp edge. When we fly,

16:31

we actually cut the air like a knife

16:34

slicing butter. We're

16:36

able to soar by using our big

16:38

wings and slow wingbeats. We

16:42

only flap our wings 10 beats per second compared to

16:44

200 for a honeybee. So what

16:47

do you have planned now? I got places to

16:49

fly, flower nectar to drink, a mate

16:53

to find, and

16:55

ultimately eggs to lay. My

16:58

lifespan is only about two to three weeks so

17:00

I have to make the most of it. Two

17:02

to three weeks? That's so short. Yep,

17:05

monarch butterflies, the orange and black ones

17:07

you see, can sometimes live for months

17:10

and the yellowish brimstone butterfly can live a

17:12

little more than a year. Gotcha.

17:15

You mentioned eating. How do butterflies

17:17

eat? I have a long

17:19

straw-like tongue or proboscis which I

17:21

can curl and uncurl to slurp

17:24

up sugary flower nectar. Did

17:27

you know I have taste buds? Not

17:29

just on my proboscis but also in

17:31

my feet, my antenna, and my wings

17:33

so I can enjoy all the sweetness

17:36

and sense toxins to avoid. Impressive!

17:38

Do butterflies ever sleep? Of

17:41

course. Butterflies snooze hanging

17:43

upside down under leaves. This

17:47

protects us from birds and rain and

17:50

provides some shade. We

17:52

don't have eyelids, you know. No, but

17:54

I hear you have better eyesight than me. With

17:57

two eyes composed of thousands of tiny little

17:59

eyes. I can see in many

18:01

directions at once. I also

18:03

have an incredible and adjustable range of

18:06

color vision. Speaking of color,

18:08

your wings are so bright and colorful.

18:10

Why is that? My bright coloration serves

18:13

a few purposes. For one, it

18:15

signals to predators that I don't taste good or

18:17

could be poisonous. And the swirls and

18:19

patterns allow us to blend in with

18:22

nature and helps camouflage us. Cool.

18:24

Well, I know your time is short, so I'll

18:27

let you go. Be free

18:29

and fly, butterfly. Later,

18:31

trusty narrator. Bye, smarty

18:33

pants. Remember, one day you

18:35

too can transform into your

18:37

most colorful self. A big

18:39

shout out to Vito, listening

18:42

around the world

18:48

in Manila, Philippines. We're

18:50

so glad to hear that you learned so much stuff listening

18:53

to Who's Smarted before going to bed, Vito.

18:56

Even if you go to bed 12 hours ahead of me. Keep

18:58

smarting, buddy. This episode,

19:00

Butterflies, was written by Libby Ward and

19:03

voiced by Kierna Conner and this guy, Jerry

19:05

Colbert. Technical direction and sound designed

19:07

by Josh Hahn. Who's Smarted is recorded

19:09

and mixed at the Relic Room Studios. Our

19:12

associate producer is Max Monarch Butterfly Kamaski.

19:14

The theme song is by Brian Suarez,

19:17

with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex

19:19

Davis. Who's Smarted was created and

19:21

produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert.

19:23

This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production. Who's

19:26

Smarted?