Exactly what you’d expect, posts about various creatures here.
Two firsts today: I happened to catch a J transforming into chrysalis. If I had strolled by sooner, I might not have realized it was that far along if not for the visually striking difference between larvae skin and sudden bulge of light green. Also, this happened…
We had a fake out. One of the 5th instar was on the screen lid on the side where all the chrysalises are. Later, I thought it fell, but it was happily munching on a leaf. I don’t know how folks keep track of greater numbers.
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. Continue reading “Guardianship update: 12th August 2018”
After I had checked on the monarchs, I went to roll up the shade on my office window, and immediately was grateful the window was closed. Continue reading “Why didn’t I think of this sooner…skunk.”
So much to my surprise, and with a twinge of guilt, at late suppertime yesterday (which was the 10th for folks pondering the time difference), I saw Junior poised in preparation for J already. Since the four older instar had been out of the incubator for a while, I really didn’t realize how big Junior had grown, especially since the last to form a chrysalis was the biggest 5th instar (and bigger than Junior). Continue reading “Guardianship update: 11th August 2018”
Yesterday was busy, so I didn’t get a chance to post news. When I cleaned out the incubator yesterday, I found a single newly born. I think one bit I thought was an egg was really just a tiny milkweed sap bubble. I checked over the seed pods with a magnifying glass several times to be sure there were no remaining eggs before I put them back outside–they take up a lot of room in the incubator, and I wanted to bring in a stem with more leaves as all the larvae were getting bigger. Continue reading “Guardianship update: 8th August 2018”
By the time I woke up today, this had happened:
One thing I love about my office is looking out the window when it’s light outside. I see all manner of things going on, including what critters are hanging around what.
Yesterday, I again found myself leaning forward and peering through the window a bit perplexed as it seemed a hummingbird was drinking from my larger flowering basil. Continue reading “Basil and hummingbirds.”
Well, the joke’s on me. The biggest of the four in the keeper is the only one that isn’t currently hanging in their J in this really bad picture below. It’s still munching away on a leaf. Continue reading “Guardianship update: 5th August 2018”
