Tried to garden and got rained out.
Released five Phaon Crescents this morning before the rain.
Had fun playing with my microscope. The single egg I found on Frogfruit is definitely a White Peacock. He's big enough now that I can see his 1950's era alien antenna. Oddly enough, Malachite caterpillars look almost exactly the same; they just get quite a bit bigger. They both use Ruellia as a host plant, too.
Here's my tiny Viceroy caterpillar. The other two died shortly after hatching.
And here's my big Viceroy caterpillar! Yes, they really look glittery like that. Also, you see why I say they have antlers. As I mentioned before, Red-Spotted Purple cats pretty much look the same but I think they "glitter" even more. Some books say that Viceroys look more green and RSPs look more brown, but they've always looked the same color to me. Might be a regional thing. I can only tell the difference because I only ever find Viceroys on Willow and RSPs on Black Cherry. Host plants can vary throughout their range, though!
I think my Buckeyes are molting. They're a really pretty caterpillar when they grow up. They have these metallic blue accents that are stunning. But for now, they're still kind of plain.
This Long-Tailed Skipper is molting, too. You can tell because its head capsule is detached from the body. If you can see that brown line that's like a "collar", then it's molting. And never move a molting caterpillar! You can kind of see all the silk around him, too. I busted open his leaf shelter. I didn't realize until I looked at the photos on screen but this is my caterpillar that got in a fight. That brown spot near the top of his body should not be there. I think he got in an altercation with another cat as there is no other explanation. It happens sometimes. I hope when he molts it will disappear, but sometimes those marks last even through a molt.
