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Day 22 - Jeweled Caddisfly Larva


Yesterday's jeweled butterfly reminded me of an article I read about the caddisfly larvae which make jewelry. The larvae naturally take the substrate from their aquatic environment (pebbles, twigs, etc.) to create protective cases around their bodies. One enterprising individual who had raised them for bait wondered, "what if I put the larvae in an aquarium with only jewels and precious metals for substrate?" He did so, and some beautiful jeweled cases were the result. I believe this fellow patented his method (darn), but I was thus inspired to create my own jeweled caddisfly from silver chain, a button, jump ring, green tiger eye beads, pink freshwater pearls, silver beads, and crystal beads.


[January 22, 2016]

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