We have returned to Albany, California from Ithaca, New York as per Cornell University's winter closing, giving us a chance to check on our overwintering pupae. This is the second in a series of posts that we will be making to address each of the species that we are still keeping in Albany, California, now that we are physically there over winter break, that will be covering the western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) pupae from larvae that were reared in August of this year. The last post that was made regarding these pupae was just a few days after we moved to Ithaca, New York where we recorded the final mass data after all of the larvae had pupated as reported by our mother. Although all but three of the larvae had already pupated while we were still in Albany, this is the first time that we can officially showcase all of the pupae together, which is shown below. Interestingly, all three of the last pupae were light morphs, whereas 100% of the other pupae were dark with the exception of a few that we allowed to pupate outside on trees instead of in empty tubs. While nobody was home to see what was taking place in the last days of these three individuals' larval stages, it is assumed that they spent almost or all of their time as prepupae in the container that they were being kept in that was stuffed with willow (Salix) cuttings, suggesting that some factor related to presence of live plant material may influence color. While the overwintering naked pupae of most other species we have reared usually experience a fair number of losses, all of these rutulus pupae are still alive, which is both somewhat surprising and a relief, although there are still a few more months to go before they are to eclose. This high survival rate can probably be owed to a combination of excellent sanitation, both before and after pupation, and to the fact that this is local stock that follow very strict seasonality and so are well suited for going through this type of long diapause. The same cannot be said of the local anise swallowtails (Papilio zelicaon), which breed vigorously and haphazardly for as long as they possibly can, or the local pipevine swallowtails (Battus philenor hirsuta) that have a chaotic diapause pattern reminiscent of the tropics; both typically suffer significant losses during diapause. ![]() Authors Brian Liang
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Timeline 2017–present
Ithaca, New York This timeline is a series of daily posts recording our observations and experiences with various insects (primarily Lepidoptera) around the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York, starting from the time we moved here in 2017. As this is a personal blog, we try to keep collections/rearings for university research and course work to a minimum, and mainly focus on just the species we catch and raise for our own fun and interest. Posts prior to this time can be viewed at Timeline 2012-2017: Albany, California, though there is occasionally some crossover when we have returned home during breaks or reared stock derived from home (see Albany, California Updates). Archives (232)
July 2020 (1) August 2019 (2) July 2019 (35) June 2019 (46) May 2019 (20) March 2019 (1) January 2019 (1) November 2018* October 2018* September 2018 (1)* August 2018 (9)* July 2018 (11)* June 2018 (22*) May 2018 (18)* April 2018 (2)* January 2018 (6) December 2017 (5) November 2017 (1) October 2017 (5) September 2017 (26) August 2017 (19) *Currently, a significant portion of 2018 posts are missing. The notes/photos for this time period are saved on our personal files but the posts were never built due to a busy schedule that year. We are still actively building these posts when we have the time. Authors
![]() ![]() Full Species List
(Alphabetical by scientific name) Note: - Not every species we encounter is necessarily presented on this site, rather a selection of those that were of particular interest to us and that we felt were worth documenting. - We can't guarantee that all species have been identified accurately, particularly taxa we are not as familiar with. Lepidoptera Actias luna Agraulis vanillae Allancastria cerisyi Amphion floridensis Ancyloxypha numintor Antheraea polyphemus Battus philenor hirsuta Callosamia promethea Colias eurytheme Citheronia regalis Cupido comyntas Danaus plexippus Darapsa myron Diadema inscriptum Epargyreus clarus Erynnis baptisiae Estigmene acrea Euchaetes egle Eumorpha pandorus Hemaris diffinis Hyalophora cecropia Limenitis archippus Liminitis arthemis arthemis Limenitis arthemis astyanax Manduca sexta Orgyia leucostigma Pachysphinx modesta Paonias myops Papilio cresphontes Papilio eurymedon Papilio glaucus Papilio polyxenes asterius Papilio rutulus Papilio troilus Papilio zelicaon Pyrgus communis Samia ricini Smerinthus ophthalmica Speyeria cybele Sphecodina abbottii Vanessa atalanta Vanessa cardui Vanessa virginiensis Lepidoptera Hybrids Papilio polyxenes asterius × Papilio zelicaon Orthoptera Conocephalus sp. Dissosteira carolina Melanoplus femurrubrum Neoconocephalus ensiger Neoxabea bipunctata Phasmatodea Carausius morosus Diapheromera femorata Mantodea Mantis religiosa Albany, California Updates |