Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Spring and the moths and butterflies hatch!





On our first 80 degree day, the moths and butterflies come out in droves.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

We find this guy


While driving through the parking lot at PetCo, Marcy spots this guy walking across. He is one of the ugliest caterpillars we've ever seen. He looks like a cross between a slug and a catfish.

Turns out, he is an old Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and he cocoons within the day.

He, too, will be hatching next spring!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

All have coccooned and are in the fridge

Our entomologist sent an e-mail saying that some or her polyphemuses (pl?) hatched after just two weeks in the cocoon. She advised that we unstick them from the cage and put them in a brown paper bag in the fridge till mid October. Those guys were really stuck on there! One made its cocoon on the side of the yogurt container we were using to hold the birch twigs, and you can see the nutrition label on it!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Three coccoon!

We hired a pet sitter while we went up north for five days. Got back and three had decided to spin. One is silky, and at the top of the cage. The two others chose to wrap themselves in leaves, one loose and one attached to the bottom of the cage. Really a surprise!

Friday, July 31, 2009

About the size of a thumb


And I swear, every time I lift the lid to put more birch leaves in, they all turn to look at me. It's a little freaky.

Our second cage


Having a cage that actually has a supportive structure - wow - what a difference that makes! Our new cage is like a Loft apartment and turns out pretty swanky. We had a hard time finding plant saucers. No one sells them individually any more.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Our first cage


Our first cage is better in form than in function. We got a black mesh and circled it around a bunch of times. We thought this would hold it up, but were wrong. A strong wind and a heavy rain both contributed to its collapse. My husband, MacGyver incarnate, rigged a temporary hold in a trash can. But this actually meant that during a heavy rain, it held water, and one of our larger caterpillars drowned. One to cage two.