I maintain my dislike of peridot but what I really wish they'd figure out is the birth flower for August. When I was a kid, it was poppy. But then at some point I started reading gladiolus. I like both; I've grown both. But poppy is what I was raised with. True story (and I'm going to date myself but I think most of you are older than me so that's okay): When I was little I loved "My Little Pony". I had so many! And they had this special mail-away order where you could get a pony with your birth flower on it. You couldn't buy them in stores. So my wonderful mother sent away and I got a pony with a poppy on it. Sold that thing on eBay years ago along with my other pony stuff. Made a killing.
Kim, that is awesome that you are seeing more Monarchs and that they are having sex in front of your camera. They're such exhibitionists!
Well, today we're going to update what's going on in my tanks. Except this first picture which I snapped after I uploaded all my pics yesterday. This is a Long-Tailed Skipper basking. Check out the turquoise coloring. Ooh! Aah! One of my better pictures, if I do say so myself. And I do.
Okay, now to the tanks! This is my Tiger ST egg. You can see it's about to hatch. Remember when it was green? Now, you can totally see the caterpillar inside, waiting to bite through that egg. By the way, I consider that way cooler than birds. I mean, they have a beak. Caterpillars gotta bite through that shell! And then they eat it! Awesome.
My two Giant ST eggs hatched. They're super small, even if they are Giant. You can see one on the leaves near my thumb moving in an upward arc. Don't worry, everyone got fresh food after picture time.
My Tiger ST cat ate a whole lot after he molted yesterday. So I rewarded him with a new leaf to munch on.
I just think Orange-Barred Sulphurs are such a cool caterpillar. I also like that unlike the smooth Swallowtails, they have a bumpy texture to them. They're another one I use as a volunteer cat at the museum.
Now, I warned you that my Queen chrysalis was sick and not likely to make it. You can see the sickly brown color at the top. Also, anytime the chrysalis is unevenly colored is bad news. As they darken, they normally do it pretty evenly and in a distinct pattern. So any deviation is cause for worry. FYI, that Black ST chrysalis she built on also isn't likely to emerge which is one reason I let her build there. You can see the spots running down the back like the wings formed but that was like a month ago. If it was going to come out, it would have. Even chrysalises that over winter won't show their pattern until they're ready to emerge.
So as not to end on a downer, here's my Io Moth. Look at those adorable feet! I wish I could hug him, but that would end badly for the both of us.
