The temperature took a nosedive today, and it’s cool enough that I’m in jeans and a sweatshirt quite comfortably (My low blood pressure is helping that). The cool damp in the air instead of the humidly stifling feeling is quite a change! I’m wondering how much difference this will make for the larvae growth rate, as the forecast is predicting this will be the norm for a few more days until the temps start to hit low 80s F again.
It may also affect the developing butterflies, so we might not have our first to release on Thursday which was the earliest possible from what I’ve read. All the chrysalis seem fine, as there are no worrisome dark spots or overall darkening of the green.
Of the three in the keeper, the biggest looks ready to ascend to the mesh lid at any time. It was still happily munching away when I checked just before writing. The other two are progressing well, one looks ready to shed to 5th instar.
Of the two in the keeper, they seem ok too. One is hanging off to the side, though, resting on the paper towel base instead of a leaf. I’m pretty sure it just upped in size, so it may simply be resting. Not sure why, but if it was on the ground outdoors, would I be as concerned? Likely not. The other in there seems ready to shed, it has that wrinkly elder look to it they sometimes get just before. The egg I brought in is starting to show the darkening head developing inside, so that could hatch soon too.
In a way, this is starting to feel routine, yet that feeling triggered a ringing alarm bell in the back of my mind, reminding me to not get complacent. I did realize today that I could have kept a better data gathering attempt, and made a note to make a sheet for dating when eggs come in, hatched, etc. It may help, it might not. I’ve been considering adding a page for critters spotted, so if I do that, it would be a natural place to put a sub page such data points. Time will tell.
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