Into the fifth instar

Over the last few days, the cats have neared the end of this phase of their lives. Sunday afternoon the larger caterpillar molted for the final time prior to pupation.

He turned 14 days old today, and is truly glorious! His (or is it “her”? I ‘ll have to wait for pupation to find out!) yellow/white/black stripes are more vivid than ever, and his front tentacles twirl and twine like an animate fu manchu.

He's gotten a lot bigger now that he's in his fifth instar.

I can finally see the cat's spiracles - the tiny holes leading to the tracheal tubes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiracle).

Hungry

The two "youngsters" are preparing to molt into their fourth instar, while the eleven day old continues to happily munch on his leaves and is getting beautifully plump. The bands of color on the cats is really getting more spectacular every day.

New home for the caterpillars

Yesterday I took the advice of the volunteers at Cox Arboretum and got a new home for the caterpillars:

I rigged up rough partitions to keep them from killing each other, though I suppose they could simply climb over if they chose. The main advantage over using this instead of the individual containers is the cover. When caterpillars prepare to pupate, they often crawl far away from their host plants in search of a good, safe spot. I've heard a number of stories about the odd places hand raised cats will choose - picture frames, chair legs, all sorts of funny locations. So having a secure top to the cage, with plenty of vent slots where the cats can fasten their silk before shedding their skin a final time, is a fantastic feature. Now I won't worry so much about the babies wandering off and getting eaten or stepped on!

The ten day old shed his skin again sometime last night. I think he's fourth instar now (but he might even be fifth!). So I'm really glad I got the new cage when  I did, rather than putting it off. He's starting to get plump and velvety - quite pretty.

Daily size comparison shot for the larger cat:

Monarch attack!

It's been something of a dramatic day in the monarch nursery! This morning I was really worried about the two 7 day olds. They were very listless and wanted nothing to do with their food. When I tried to offer a fresh leaf, they reared back and shook the upper potions of their body with violence. A few hours later I found two discarded head capsules and the remnants of a skin - another molt. I've completely lost track of the instars at this point.

Head capsule

Shed skin - they didn't seem interested in eating it this time.

This afternoon the real drama began. While feeding the larger 9 day old, I glanced over at the 7 day olds. One of them (slightly larger than the other) was violently thrashing his head against the other! I quickly grabbed a leaf to shield the small cat from his attacker. Luckily the little one crawled away without any apparent damage done. I've now separated the two into different dishes and with different leaves. I had heard of aggression between larger and smaller instars when food seems scarce, but I didn't expect it from two hatchlings with only a few hours age difference. I have trouble telling the two apart, they are so similar in size. I suppose the attack was a result of the single leaf that I gave them at any one time...

I think the 9 day old is about to molt - perhaps for the last time prior to pupation. When I offered him fresh food, he threw back his head and thrashed just like the smaller cats did earlier today. The difference was that when this cat thrashed, I could actually hear the snapping sound when he bumped the side of the container. I wonder if anyone has ever succumbed to a caterpillar bite? After what happened earlier, I wouldn't be surprised.

I snapped a few pics for size comparison:

Danaus plexippus - day 7 and 8

Yesterday I woke up to find that the larger caterpillar had shed his skin - and was in the process of eating it.

The most noticable change is the length of the head tentacles. He's really starting to remind me of a slug.

Today nothing much new, but I did get a few shots to continue the daily size comparisons.

the larger cat

one of the smaller cats

A visit to Cox Arboretum

This afternoon I made a trip to Cox Arboretum Metropark and their fantastic native butterfly and moth house. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was the beautiful Outdoor sculpture by Michael Bashaw - which was installed as part of the outreach project "Branching Out".

I wish there a been a bit more wind so that I could get the full musical effect! It is in essence a giant wind-powered instrument.

There were a huge variety of summer flowers in bloom. I not usually a big fan of roses, but this one arrested my attention, and instantly brought to mind a famous Sherlock Holmes quote:

"What a lovely thing a rose is!...Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers." - The Naval Treaty

As I approached the butterfly house, I was startled by the odd flying creatures who kept scattering before my step. It took me several minutes to realize that they were a type of grasshopper - I'd never before noticed how beautiful their wings are! I thought them a butterfly at first with their beautiful blue markings.

Entering the butterfly house is a bit strange. Instantly humid, and suddenly surrounded on all sides by some of the most vibrant and beautiful creatures in all stages of life who grace this planet. With the huge trees and few showy flowers or host plants that my yard offers, I often catch only a glimpse or two of Lepidoptera all summer, and here they were everywhere!

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

 

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

There were both host plants for the larvae and various flowers for the adults.

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) eggs  - and a larvae

  I had great chat with some of the fantastic volunteers who educate the public and care for all the butterflies (I am now fiercely determined to volunteer there next summer!). The first of my worries was regarding OE - do need to bleach the milkweed leaves prior to feeding to remove any possible traces? The volunteers assured me that while it was indeed a matter of concern for them, with literally hundreds of insects confined in one area together, the 3 monarchs I have at home shouldn't be a high enough population density for me to worry about it. They showed me the cages they use to protect young caterpillars and suggested that I obtain a similar box. I'll have to visit a pet supply store before too long and see if I can't find something. One of the volunteers in particular spoke to me in some length about good host plants, and I think I'll take her advice next year. Parsley works well in pots, so she suggested that with the minimal sun my yard gets, a large clump moved into the sun for part of the day would work very well as a host for black swallowtails. I'm not sure whether pipevine will work or not, but I may need to try it as well just to see, since pipevine swallowtails are by far one of my favorites. As for milkweed, Asclepias incarnata would be a great option, since it grows from seed quite well and will not spread with the madness of other varieties. Spicebush is a much larger and more attractive shrub than I realized, so I'll have to look into obtaining one. I'm planning next spring to begin a small butterfly host plant garden in the center of my front yard. I've been trying to think of a better way to utilize the space, and perhaps this will be the perfect new spot for my insect obsession!

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

 The volunteers also took the time to teach me a bit about Ohio's silkworm moths. I had no idea what their cocoons look like, so it was great to see and compare them. I'll be on the lookout from now on.

  

 

Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) cocoons

  

An empty black swallowtail cocoon on some Queen Anne's lace

I came home to my new monarch setup - the bay window, where they will be a little warmer and farther away from an air vent. The younger cats were in the latter phase of a first molt. I'd say all three are second instar now.

Size comparison - 4 and 6 days old.

I found an odd dead insect in a plant we bought at Cox. I haven't tried to ID it yet - if anyone recognizes it please leave a comment!