lepping through the snow

Woody Woods woody.woods at umb.edu
Fri Oct 19 05:07:58 EDT 2001


The season isn't over yet, and might never be! Every morning and evening
I visit fifteen Mourning Cloaks raised from 5th instars collected late
last July and raised in a portable cage. On warmer days they bask and
fly and dine on rotting nectarenes, and during cool spells they hang
out, or rather hang in. It looks as though they'll be with me through a
Boston winter.

Has anyone tried this? (Less trouble than a puppy, actually). Any
thoughts on ways I can improve their survival odds? They are apparently
freeze-tolerant (or maybe freeze avoiding, don't know) and are found in
ground litter or exterior crevices of buildings during winter.  I have
provided odd-shaped bits of styrofoam and some artificial crevices,
though most of them still hang in the open at the upper edges of the
cage. They have never oviposited despite fresh willow fronds in the
cage, and so are likely aimed at diapausing through the winter.

Thoughts?

Woody Woods
--
*********************************************************
William A. Woods Jr.
Department of Biology
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd                      Lab: 617-287-6642
Boston, MA 02125                        Fax: 617-287-6650
*********************************************************



 
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