Hey all - love all the most recent pics - I'm really excited to watch the rearing of those Io moths! Very cool.

Ok - need some help here - I'm fretting about my spicebush cat because I go out of town Monday. It is the slowest, pokiest caterpillar EVER. Still green. Seems to be fine - frass every day, but really, come on already! If I have to hire a caterpillar sitter, DH and kids will never let me live it down. I brought the cat in on May 15 - and it's June 13....

And thanks to all you Floridians for finally getting some gulfies up here in Atlanta - I was still when I saw mama gulfie, and promptly took the 2 eggs I found inside.

on the Gulf Frits plus eggs!!!!!

What a quandary with the spicebush cat. It's funny & sad all at the same time Meredith. What in the world are you going to do? You're right, the family will never let you live that one down. It will be told & retold to your grandchildren & their grandchildren. Crazy granny Meredith hired a caterpillar sitter.

Well, it's the middle of the night and I'm awake, but I had a snack and I'm about to try to go back to sleep. But first, congrats to Meredith on the Gulf Frits. Also, some traveling advice. I'm not sure where you're headed or if you're driving or flying, but here are some options. First, you can always put the caterpillar back on a host plant. That's the worst option, in my opinion. You can see if wherever you're going has a host plant available for your caterpillar. Or, you can pack host leaves and take them with you. Keeping leaves refrigerated lasts a lot longer than you would think, although I would pick Sassafras over Spicebush since it's a sturdier leaf. I've done this when going on vacation to WV but I make sure there are host plants there since I don't want to risk my supply running out. I really don't pack more host plant than to last the drive up there. So if you're going somewhere that doesn't grow its host plant, you might want to leave it behind. And then, you can always get someone to "cat-sit" for you. I'm lucky to have MOSI to give my cats to, but maybe one of your neighbors or friends has kids that would like to see a real-life Pokemon? Just make sure they know it's going to gut purge and turn orange so they don't freak out!

And with that, I go back to sleep. I have to go to MOSI in the morning to drop off the Io Moths. Not all of them, just most. I have some really cute pictures from yesterday and I'll try to take pictures of whatever's flying at the museum. Until then!

Okay, lots to catch up on. Saturday morning I woke up and the Io Moths were doing this.



I thought maybe they were molting, but then they started doing this.



They're pretty hilarious to watch. They play "follow the leader" and I was trying to decide how they determine which one leads. I don't think caterpillars believe in democracy. And what's weird is when they turn around, they don't do an about face. The first one turns and then they all make a big loop and follow the first one. The UF link said they follow the silk of the one in front of them, but let me tell you something. I watched them, and the one behind totally rubs his nose on the butt of the one in front of him. And the whole line does this! It's super funny to watch. Anyway, I kept three and took the rest to the museum today. FYI, they're eating Wisteria at the house and I put them on Hackberry at the museum (as the boss requested). Here's one on a leaf yesterday.



Meanwhile, Spicebush keeps eating and growing.



More Black Swallowtails are purging. These two decided to pupate in a pair. They both made green chrysalises, FYI. I'm kind of doing an experiment on that, but we'll talk more about that as more of them pupate.



So this morning I headed to MOSI and there were a ton of butterflies flying in the garden and the flight cage. It was super hot so I tried to just take pictures of things I don't see in my yard. Here's the adult form of the Black Swallowtail enjoying some plumbago.



I feel like this was an Orange-Barred Sulphur but it's hard to tell from the picture.



We obtained Malachites again.



I got to release a Sleepy Orange! There were several flying around but only the newbie would sit still. It seems a little early for them, but they showed up about this time last year, too. I always associate them more with August and September. They seem to time themselves for when the Partridge Pea (a host plant) blooms.



I took a picture of this Julia because it was holding so still. I didn't even notice until I looked at the picture that she's hanging from a chrysalis! How did everyone miss that in the flight cage? It happens sometimes.



Mom likes this picture of a Great Southern White.



So one of our volunteers brought in some Luna Moth eggs a while ago and I guess my boss keeps breeding the adults. Check out the cloth enclosure - with note advising us NOT to remove them or try and feed them because they don't have mouths, anyway. I couldn't get great pictures of the pair, but I tried. And check out the eggs!



I released a Zebra Longwing in the flight cage and five minutes later I turn around and she's mating! They really don't waste time. The one I released, which I believe is the female, is on the left.



Long-Tailed Skippers were all over the Duranta erecta.



I forgot to post the Luna caterpillars! Here are three small ones. They were all this size and are eating Sweet Gum.



I saw four Polydamas at once! I was determined to get at least one picture for you guys, so here it is!



Back home, a Duskywing was sitting on my doormat and flying around the door. I shooed him over to the Bougainvillea.



I believe this is one of those Monk Skippers.



Mom also liked this Gulf Fritillary picture.



Okay, now is the portion of my post where we learn stuff. I saw a Tiger Swallowtail today and it was a female! Not that she left me any presents, but whatever. So how can you tell the difference? First let's look at a male. I took this picture in WV. Notice there is very little blue scaling on him. Sometimes, it appears like there is no blue scaling, even.



Now, here's the female from today. See the increased blue scaling? For the record, she exclusively ate my red pentas.

What a pretty surprise
This was hiding from the rain this morning on my shelving under the over hang.

Nice surprise Cinda!

Melanie, what a day! I'm dying to know why the luna moths don't have mouths?????? Nice lesson on the male & female TST.

Cinda, looks like you've got a Comma there. Nice!

Ann, lots of moths don't have mouth parts as adults. They mate and die. They often live for only a couple of days and live off the fat they stored as a caterpillar. So they also don't pollinate any flowers while they live. It's a short life as an adult, but it seems to work for them.

I feel sorry for the lunas. They are so pretty, but I can't imagine life with no food! And those io moths are hilarious.

Well, the caterpillar sitter (child next door) has been trained. After a month, I can't bear to put the spicebush cat out in the wild, and there are no spicebush in Seattle. I told her to just Facetime me if she forgets what I told her. She was actually pretty excited, so maybe the next generation will be recruited.

Saw a female eastern tiger swallowtail today, but she was shy. Not a very good pic.

Any good duskywing/skipper ID'ers out there? I THINK I saw an Indigo Duskywing and a Fiery skipper today, but kept comparing to Horace's duskywing and whirlabout. I'm thoroughly confused. And the duskywing was shy also, so pic isn't the clearest.

Collected 2 more gulf frit eggs, so 4 little eggs all tucked away.

I had no idea Melanie. I'm with Meredith about the sad living w/o food thing. And I had forgotten to comment on those Io moth cats. Very strange & comical! Follow the leader - reminds me of a conga line.

Meredith it's so great that the neighbor girl is going to cat sit. I bet she IS excited! You're doing your part to initiate the next generation. If it goes into it's chrysalis while she's caring for it she will be over the moon. Yay for the Tiger ST! And skippers too! Melanie will have to guess on the skippers as I'm not good on them.

Have a great trip. How long will you be gone?

That's cool that you're introducing a young girl to science. Some of you might have seen in the news the former Nobel winner who said women in the lab were distracting because they fall in love with him and cry and stuff. Twitter responded using the hashtag #DistractinglySexy. Check it out if you're on Twitter or just search Google news. My bosses at MOSI and a friend I have that works for the CDC get really worked up about this kind of stuff. We need to encourage all children in math and sciences, but I love seeing girls doing things that are traditionally male-dominated. I guess it started by having a mother who used to be the TV repair person for Sears. Then, she went on to fixing computers. And I did end up going on to attend the very male-dominated Wharton School. And I wasn't even there to look for a husband! (Drops the mic. Steps down off soapbox.)

Just make sure the neighbor knows the gut purge is normal, caterpillar is going to turn orange, and give it some sticks to pupate on. It will do the rest. How long are you going to be gone? Will you be back to see it emerge? That should take about two weeks, but they can be stubborn.

I tried to look at the Duskywings BAMONA had identified for me a while back and compare them to my book and I ended up like this: I literally made it worse. I only get the Horace and Juvenal's Duskywings, but I did see an Indigo Duskywing once in WV. They can vary so much that I don't know how they tell them apart. And skippers! Oh my goodness, I know a few but mostly I relegate them to brown or orange. That Tiger ST looks great, though!

FYI, I love the banner today. I'm going to have to go give it a thumbs up. Then, it's off to bed to lick my wounds after watching "Game of Thrones".

Meredith, my Spicebush is starting to change color ever so slightly. He hasn't gut purged yet, though. Since ours seem to be on the same track, I would expect yours just waited until you left to do his thing.

Thanks Melanie - appreciate everything you do!

Ann I'm escaping 90+ degrees in Atlanta for a week in temperate 70's Seattle,

I always so fret about my plants when I leave, last year I traveled over fourth of July to San Francisco, leaving behind 2 teen daughter with Grandma and Great-Grandma - when I returned all my plants were SO DROOPY - you would think 4 reasonably grown people could care for the plants? Sheesh! So we'll see how the hired neighbor of 11 does.

FYI - NABA identified my skipper from yesterday as a Fiery skipper, and the Duskywing for a Horace's Duskywing. So nice to have someone else to check with.

If I don't post for a week, be back in touch next week!

Here is something my hubby sent me just for fun, which beginning at 5 p.m. I am taking to heart!

"A highly dangerous virus called "Weekly Overload Recreational Killer" (WORK) is currently going around. If you come into contact with this WORK virus, you should immediately go to the nearest "Biological Anxiety Relief" (BAR) center to take antidotes know as "Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract" (WINE), "Radioactive unwork medicine" (RUM), "Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter" (BEER), or "Vaccine Official Depression Killing Antigen" (VODKA).

I LOVE that one Meredith!!!! My personal preference is the Vaccine Official Depression Killing Antigen (VODKA).

Don't worry about the plants -- they'll survive. they may be droopy but they'll survive. I wish I were going with you. We've got 99 degrees on tap for today & I do believe we will bust that ceiling. It's already 96.

American Painted Lady

Nice shots, Jack!

Those are really good shots!

Hey all greetings from Seattle - I saw this beauty while walking with my mom! I guess technically it's a western tiger swallowtail rather than the eastern variety but it looked the same to me.

And the caterpillar sitter sent this pic

Loving the 70s and zero humidity....

Glad to see the sitter is sending photo updates, Meredith! I used to think low humidity was a good thing, but I realized I actually have dry skin if I don't live in Florida. I didn't realize how important moisturizer was until I went to college in Philadelphia. Still, the weatherman said last night it felt like "a thousand degrees" and he's an expert so there you go. It's hot outside!

Speaking of weather, are all the folks in Texas doing okay? I watched that Tropical Storm go by. The weatherman also declared the drought over in Texas, but I didn't think flooding was the answer. But I do hope your drought is over. I know you guys have had it real tough the last few years and I want lots of milkweed and nectar plants for those Monarchs in the fall!

Okay folks, this is going to be a post free of butterflies. Because we're going to look at chrysalises and caterpillars! First up is my Spicebush which turned orange the other day. I've raised some West Virginia Spicebush cats and they turn more of a golden color. Even my books say they turn gold. But as you can see, he is flame orange. Hunters would know not to shoot him. I can't help but wonder if this is because some taxonomists think Florida has a subspecies of the Spicebush?



His chrysalis is mostly brown with an orange tint.



And here's the Tersa Sphinx Moth pupa again since I had it out.



Okay, the rest is going to be my passel of Black Swallowtails. But first, I must admit to a mistake I made this morning. I switched them to organic dill since the parsley at Publix looked like the same stuff that was there a few days ago. No problems with the dill. I had it up in the top of the fridge and apparently it's too cold up there and the stems had some ice on them but the leaves look okay. I had the caterpillars in the bottom of the tank and set the food on top of them. I didn't realize how hard those stems were until I looked and realized I squished one of my caterpillars! He had his stinkhorns out so he was mad. I actually went outside thinking he was dead because he was also leaking. But I got him out from under the stem, put him on some of the softer leaves, and I'm keeping him under observation. He tucked his stinkhorns back in which is a good sign. So believe me, I'm far from being an expert at this and it's okay to admit when you make a mistake. I will learn from this and not do it again.

Okay, back to the fun part which is pictures and learning. Here's a Black ST cat on my hand. He's a full grown caterpillar. FYI, butt on the left, head on the right. By the way, be glad I didn't take any pictures of the gut purges. My tanks were nasty! I should have cleaned them before I ate breakfast. But then again, that may have put me off breakfast entirely.



Since most of them are in their sling or have pupated, I moved all the ones that are still eating to one tank. I have four final instar cats, and one who is molting. Here are my cleaned tanks.



Here's my molting caterpillar. Note how his head capsule has detached from his body. I always say it just looks like it's sitting low on his head, but I read that it actually detaches. I was thinking if I was an arty-type person, I would do some kind of photo exhibit called "Tribal Masks of Caterpillars" because that's what they remind me of.



Smelling all this dill is making me want pickles! I love those big Kosher Dill pickles. Used to buy them at the skating rink for 50 cents. Here's a look at one of the chrysalises of the Black Swallowtail. See the sling around it that keeps it attached to the parsley stem? They are also attached by a silk button at their butt.



Watching them build that sling gives me neck cramps. I saw one doing it last night and I was thinking how flexible caterpillars are. Now, here's some learning. Black Swallowtails, along with some other caterpillar species, can make either green or brown chrysalises. There are several theories on this and you may have read some in your books. Some say they will make a green chrysalis on smooth surfaces because they want to blend in with new growth which is likely to be green. Similarly, they will make a brown chrysalis on rough surfaces which would indicate older growth. Some people say the green ones come out in a few weeks while the brown ones are the ones that spend the winter in the chrysalis. Melanie says, caterpillars seem way more complicated than that and I don't think it's anywhere near that easy to pick a reason that fits all caterpillars. We don't even know what they're doing in there or how they do it and yet we act like we know the reason they choose a certain color? Melanie thinks scientists are arrogant and I want to see the study that proves these things. So on that note, here's some examples.

I'm calling these the twins since they both pupated on a parsley stem next to each other.



The pupation chamber has some sticks I broke off of a dead part of my Senna ligustrina. As you can see, one decided to go green, and two decided to go brown.



So for now, I say chrysalis color choice remains a mystery. And with that, I realize I forgot to take pictures of the Zebra Longwing chrysalis. Those guys are bonkers! Look forward to the next installment!

I'm just killing time until Mom and I go watch dinosaurs terrorize people so I took some more pictures.

This is the Zebra Longwing chrysalis. It gets a lot of attention from the visitors at MOSI. Those scary-looking protrusions don't do anything except look scary. Also, notice the gold coloration on it. And remember that the word "chrysalis" comes from a Greek word meaning gold. So there you go!

Neat stuff, Melanie!
The Zebra Longwing chrysalis is very cool looking!!!