Anyone Reared Dreamy Duskywings?

15 years ago

Hi, I found a Dreamy Duskywing rolled up on a Quaking Aspen this afternoon. I brought it home to ID, and I think I'll try to keep it. Guess they overwinter as half-grown caterpillars (boy, starting to seem like most butterflies around here overwinter like that). They stay wrapped up in the leaf, and hang out below in the leaf litter when the leaf they're on falls. Can I replicate that with paper towels?

How do these little creatures survive under all the snow that piles up? Is snow a good thing to be under? I'm sure it insulates them, but then it melts, and I wonder how they can breathe!

(I also saw either a Comma or Question Mark hanging out on a particular tree line. It didn't like me getting too close to it--kept flying away and landing away from me. It finally got sick of me and flew evern further away/ Hope it flew 2/10 more of a mile to my place that is waiting for QM babies.)

Comments (6)

bernergrrl
Original Author
14 years ago
Well, it overwintered and emerged today. It is pretty in a subtle way--when the light hit the edges of the wings there was a steely blue glint.

{{gwi:531895}}

{{gwi:531898}}
butterflymomok
14 years ago
I think it's beautiful. I've reared the Horace and Wild Indigo Duskywings. They are similar in that they both overwinter.

Sandy
Related Discussions
No Flat Tires on Yard Tractor
Q
Comments (16)
OK - So mownie has probably nailed it ... (pun intended :) I do completely agree that even very strong magnets will not raise nails stuck in the ground... (I said it was dreamy ) So my thoughts are - that the tires be filled with this magical foam and the flat problem is solved. This thread raises a particular concern 1) Kids, trespasser, neighbors hurt themselves on your property - I wonder if they could create legal problems for you... 2) In my area - if I try and sell my property with nails and glass all over the yard... and if it were detected - and it most likely would be when the home inspector pulls nails out of his shoes ... giggle snicker !! Then I would very likely have a horrific time of resolving that before the home was actually closed on... Heaven forbid the DEP get involved... This is a bad situation - did you know you were getting fill that was full of nails and glass ? I'd be freaking out if that ended up on my property !! I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to have top soil brought in and have those high schoolers 1) clean up the old surface a bit 2) spread top soil 3) seed it 4)lay down some hay to germinate the seed. I know that would cost money - but it might be in your best interest to get it done earlier than later. Good luck - Dave
...See More
A Marvelous Weekend
Q
Comments (5)
Sandy, I have to second the Marvelous Weekend. It was so much fun meeting you, Susan, Linda and Marilyn, not to mention buying plants, exchanging plants, etc. On the way home DH and I stopped at the Scenic Lookouts in the Arbuckles and what should appear but bunches of Painted Ladies, a couple of Swallowtails that wouldn't let me get close enough to identify (they were dark) and numerous Sulfurs. Sunday, I spent the day playing in the dirt with all my new plants (man, am I tired and sore today). Saw my first Pearly Crescent, possible American Snout siting and of course several more Painted Ladies. Also, saw Hummingbird moth(s) (not sure if it was the same one in different places in the yard or different ones as it was at different times) I've always enjoyed the henbit in the spring but this year has convinced me that it will not be mowed down until it quits blooming as that is where most of the butterflies were). Hope everybody's spring starts out just as great. Linda, Sandy, Susan, Thanks for a memorable Saturday. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with you ladies. Ms. Faith
...See More
Please review my plans - help needed with bedroom arrangement
Q
Comments (174)
So glad this brought a laughter to your life Victoria. We ask cause it doesn’t hurt too, maybe somedayyy someoneee that actually has it could share with us a link where we could go and pay for it. I certainly would do it. If you have nothing positive or helpful to contribute, then don’t post uncooperative comments. Thanks.
...See More
"just looking" is always dangerous!
Q
Comments (69)
I bought my first house in a lightening fast sellers market in 2004, that famous "housing balloon." I looked at a lot of houses in the area so I knew what was out there, how much it was going for, and what I liked and did not like. Originally I did not want a row house, but my house was affordable so I thought I would take a look. I hadn't spent much time in urban row houses previously. I was prepared to be underwhelmed. I was surprised at how many of my boxes the place ticked. There are advantages to compactness. But also, I sensed solid construction and value for the dollar. Meaning I was paying for the solid bones that could be worked with to suit my style, which was not going to be a permanent feature anyway. The house hadn't been ruined or a lot of cheap stuff slapped on to it that would quickly wear out and become a maintenance problem. So even though I paid more than I wanted to, and more than I should have given the working class neighborhood, the house held most of its value. I didn't lose money. I think if you buy a solid, good house, and nothing weird and unforseen happens in the neighborhood, you can usually recoup most of your investment. However, I would say that you need to vet the location almost as much as the house. For example, is it in a flood zone and you're just visiting on a dry day? What's the drainage situation around the house? Foundation issues? What's the trend in development in the area? What's the noise factor in the neighborhood, etc. What is happening socially and physically in the other houses around it. It takes a while to get a sense of these things and you have to be willing to take a hard look at them. I blinked a couple of years ago while relocating, because even though the house I looked at in the country was perfect and the road and area pretty nice, the property across the street looked unkempt and a tad scary. Who knows it could have been fine, but in a rural area, one target shooting, firecracker loving ORV driving loud music playing neighbor and you're sunk.
...See More
MissSherry
14 years ago
That's a very pretty butterfly!
The duskywings are always one of the first butterflies I see in spring, so they must resume eating pretty early in the year, that is, if the type duskywings I get here overwinter as cats.
Sherry
emmayct
14 years ago
What a cool accomplishment! To get that to overwinter. How exactly did you do it?

Maryann
ladobe
14 years ago
Good job - another successful save. Good to see more and more folks get interested in the skippers too. They are often overlooked.

You've probably heard someone say it has to be warm to snow. That is true, at least in the sense of degrees (levels) of cold. Snow is a great insulator against cold. During the years I lived in the frozen north (Rocky Mountains) I commonly put some of my ovum, larvae and pupae livestock out in cages under the Blue Spruce and Aspen scree in my yard to over winter naturally. They could get as much as 6' of snow on them some winters, but 2-3' was more normal. That would be similar to the connditions they would have in their natural habitats minus up to as much as another 16-18' of snow on top of them. Few ever died and those that did was not because of the cold.

Shredded newspaper or paper towel is a great substitute for leaf litter, rock piles or soil to not only over winter in, but also to rear species in that feed on the more succulent larval food plants (and so have extremely wet frass).

Larry
bernergrrl
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks MissSherry! Thanks Larry (so nice to get a little pat on the back from you)! I didn't even think the little guy survived, so I was surprised when I came home the other day to find him (and a little hijacker moth) fluttering around. I am becoming more appreciative of these little butterflies.

6' of snow! I don't think we get that here up in New Hampshire. How do these creatures deal with the freezing temperatures? Do they have some kind of chemical compound that helps them keep from freezing? Some of the cats around here seem to hang out in hibernaculums too, so they don't have the benefit of the snow. It's something I just keyed into last year with the discovery of the admiral (Limentis) and Harris' Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii)cats.

Maryann, I didn't do too much...I just kept giving it new aspen twigs and leaves until it seemed to have stopped feeding; I kept watching for activity, and one day I went in and checked it, and it formed a chrysalis in the leaf. Then I just left the dried up aspen twig on the bottom of the cage under a couple of paper towels. I kept the cage in the garage; there may have been a couple of nights when it got close to 0 degrees out there. I am a little confused because I thought they needed to keep feeding in the spring before pupating. I really thought it had died (for which I feel bad), and I was going (and still may) give up on these caterpillars that need to overwinter.

Thanks to Sandy too who opened up my mind to rearing them! Sandy, did yours overwinter as cats or chrysalids?

Anyone Reared Dreamy Duskywings?

Comments (6)

bernergrrl
Original Author

butterflymomok

Related Discussions

MissSherry

emmayct

ladobe

bernergrrl
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Anyone Reared Dreamy Duskywings?

Comments (6)

bernergrrlOriginal Author

butterflymomok

Related Discussions

MissSherry

emmayct

ladobe

bernergrrlOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

bernergrrl
Original Author

bernergrrl
Original Author