Category Archives: Life Cycles

Confusing Fall Warbler time!

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

[I]f you associate a bird only with its adult breeding plumage…you won’t be able to tell that the dull olive-green bird chirping repetitively in September is the same as the bright golden-yellow one singing exuberantly in April. Continue reading →

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To rear or not to rear?

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

documenting the life cycle of these unpopular but fascinating insects is, indeed, well worth a few bites. In fact, it may be more valuable than popular life cycles like monarch butterflies… Continue reading →

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Video: Monarch butterfly emerging from pupa

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

The first video shows the butterfly’s dramatic exit from the chrysalis. He emerges wet, fat-bodied, and tiny-winged, almost unrecognizable as a butterfly! Continue reading →

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Video: Monarch butterfly caterpillar pupating

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

It took exactly 3 minutes from the time the caterpillar’s skin split to the pupa shaking free of the skin. I took 12 hours of footage overnight to make sure I got those three minutes! I then cut it down to a 4-minute video, which I invite everyone to watch. Continue reading →

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Chilocorus kuwanae lady beetles

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

Chilocorus kuwanae has no common name in English, and has been introduced to North America for biocontrol. It is a beautiful species, glossy black with two red spots. Continue reading →

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It’s a lady beetle-eat-lady beetle world…

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

…still, it hardly seems fair for two active larvae to gang up on a prepupal larvae for breakfast. I gave them a lot more aphids and although that particular prepupa is never going to pupate, I hope the rest of … Continue reading →

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Buggy goodness!

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

My catch of the day was a 6mm scymnine lady beetle larva, finally! I’ve never been able to raise scymnines – adults haven’t mated or laid eggs in captivity, the larvae I collected last summer all died within days – … Continue reading →

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Posted in Coccinellinae, Flies, Insects, Lady beetles, Life Cycles, Scymninae, Syrphids | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

She’s a lady!

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Butterfly Psyche

Thrill of the day: my 7-spotted lady beetle laid eggs in her container! (So she is really a lady ladybug.) I’ll release her later today, in case she gets any ideas about eating the eggs. I hope they’re fertilized and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Coccinellinae, Lady beetles, Life Cycles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments