Pipevine Swallowtail eggs. I think. But what now?
Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years ago
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Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Pipevine Swallowtail Eggs pic
Comments (5)Great close-ups, Frecklejuice! Pipevine swallowtails are my favorite butterflies, and that's saying something. There are jillions of them on my vines. They haven't grown nearly as fast in this cool spring as they do in the hot summer, but some appear to be in about ?3rd or 4th instars, so pupation isn't too far off. I hope there's plenty of Virginia snakeroot close to your mother-in-law's house - it takes a LOT of it! Sherry...See MorePipevine Swallowtail Eggs and Emerging Zebra Swallowtail!
Comments (26)"Funny Sherry I was wondering the same thing about inbreeding, never have seen any mention of it when reading about captive breeding." When I showed up here almost 7 years ago, I took some people to task about the way they were releasing large numbers of inbred giant silk moths. That went over like a lead weight so I have pretty much kept my mouth shut since then. Ladobe criticized one of our members about it last year but no one followed up on it. The quote was "Besides weakening the gene pool, forced inbreeding produces low egg viability, high malformation risk and so therefore high mortality. Not a good practice." One consequence of moth inbreeding helped cause a shift in USDA policy last month. The USDA no longer regulates interstate shipments of Bombyx mori. Those moths are so inbred they can no longer survive in the wild. I raise relatively large numbers (up to 400 of one type) of Saturniidae every year. I go to great lengths to try to make sure the wild males that my girls mate with are not the brothers or the male first cousins that I released. I also try to make sure my released males and females do not mate with each other. I do this by doing releases at least 10 miles (usually more) from my house and releasing the females and males at least 10 miles (usually more) away from each other. I used to mark my males to make sure they were not finding their way home but quit being that paranoid after years of never getting one back. I release at least 10 miles away because 7 miles seems to be the generally accepted maximum distance that a male Saturniidae can follow a female's pheromones. That said, I have seen a claim that male giant silk moths can follow female pheromones for "nearly 30" miles. YMMV I preface my next statement by saying I have no clue how this guy operates. There is a guy in Ohio that raises 3k-4k cecropias each year. I read that he has been raising them since '86. Something wiped out his cats in 2008 and he had to start over in 2009. I'm real curious if inbreeding affected his setup and I'd like to know what happens to all the moths he doesn't sell (IOW, do they get let go). As for inbreeding butterflies and affecting the gene pool, there is a lot of info/controversy on the net about it because of people raising butterflies for mass release at weddings. One related article I have posted before is linked at the end of this post. Last thought: I know of one inbred butterfly that has been studied a lot: monarchs on Hawaii. I believe around 20% of them are white now. My guess is they do alright because the favorable weather conditions don't put a lot of stress on them. They would probably have trouble with migrating to Mexico and surviving the winters there. Anyway, there is a lot of research out there about them. KC Here is a link that might be useful: All Aflutter...See MoreI built it and they came! Pipevine Swallowtails
Comments (6)Cathy, I'm chuckling at your last post. I have so many PVs in the garden, and yes, they are beautiful. The Ironweed is blooming early, and the PVs are all over it. Guess I ought to get a pic, as the Ironweed has never been as beautiful as it is this year. I'll deadhead it so it can bloom at its normal late summer time. You'll see the pipes in the spring before the butterflies arrive. It takes about 3 years for the plants to mature enough to flower. I had loads of flowers this year, but not one seed pod. And my vines, which are plentiful, are getting close to being defoliated! The serpentaria can't even leaf out as the PVs lay eggs as soon as there is any sign of growth. Sandy...See MorePipevine Swallowtail Eggs!
Comments (9)My mama PVS laid two more batches of eggs, one at the spot where she "faked" it yesterday. She takes SO much time examining each leaf between nectaring - she is certainly particular about where her babies will be born! I released all the pipevine swallowtails I've raised this year between August 2nd and August 7th - I know, because I've kept records this year. One of my males emerged with a dog-eared right wing - I know he wasn't one of the last day's releases, and I think he left on the 5th or 6th. I was concerned at first that he wasn't going to be able to fly right, but he did and still is. He continues to nectar in my garden, and I always know which one he is because of his distinctive right wing. I've read in various books that butterflies don't live very long, with some, like buckeyes, supposedly only living a week. Well, ole DogEar still looks pretty good to be a month old. He finally stayed still (basking) long enough for me to make his picture. I've always thought that pipevine swallowtails lived longer than other butterflies, and DogEar is making me think I was right - he looks like he might live another month, don't you think? Sherry...See MoreIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
5 years agojaviwa
5 years ago
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