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”
Tag: Monarch butterfly
Guardianship update: 11th August 2018
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”
Guardianship update: 8th 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”
Guardianship update: 5th August 2018
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”
New mini project: Monarch larvae keeper
I saw a curbside ad on Craig’s List today for a “terrarium”, and go to the address. I do so in the hope I might get my hands on a more suitable container for a project I’ve been wanting to do.
Update on things that go from wormy to fluttery
I heard back from a local monarch expert I’ve been corresponding with, and she concurred that what I found is more likely to be milkweed tussock larvae. Continue reading “Update on things that go from wormy to fluttery”
A Tale of Two Cameras
I currently have two digital cameras. One is cheap and terrible at close ups. The other is good for its time, but now would be considered old. The older one is finicky, and often won’t save data properly. I have not yet had time to see if I can get it fixed. I also, at this time, cannot afford a new camera (and, no, I do not own a cell phone that can take pictures). Continue reading “A Tale of Two Cameras”