Comments for Lawnchair Naturalist http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com Sitting on my duff watching nature. (Random thoughts of an easily distracted...hey, what's that shiny thing?!) Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:55:40 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Flying Porterhouse Steaks: Cecropia Moths in Flight by phantommidge http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/flying-porterhouse-steaks-cecropia-moths-in-flight/#comment-918 phantommidge Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:55:40 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=349#comment-918 Thank you and may I say what fantastic paintings you have! Thank you and may I say what fantastic paintings you have!

]]> Comment on Flying Porterhouse Steaks: Cecropia Moths in Flight by letspaintnature http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/flying-porterhouse-steaks-cecropia-moths-in-flight/#comment-917 letspaintnature Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:28:58 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=349#comment-917 What fantastic photos! Holy cow! What fantastic photos! Holy cow!

]]> Comment on Destination Unknown by phantommidge http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/destination-unknown/#comment-915 phantommidge Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:45:51 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=367#comment-915 Thank you! I am "exploring my career options" as they say... Thank you! I am “exploring my career options” as they say…

]]> Comment on Destination Unknown by Miss Method http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/destination-unknown/#comment-914 Miss Method Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:41:32 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=367#comment-914 Total bummer, dudette! Hang in there! Something will turn up. Total bummer, dudette! Hang in there! Something will turn up.

]]> Comment on Destination Unknown by codger http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/destination-unknown/#comment-913 codger Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:02:00 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=367#comment-913 Sucks, sucks, sucks and - oh yeah! - really sucks! Sucks, sucks, sucks and – oh yeah! – really sucks!

]]> Comment on Leaf Eating Machines Part II: Cecropia Moth Caterpillars, Again by phantommidge http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/leaf-eating-machines-part-ii-cecropia-moth-caterpillars-again/#comment-912 phantommidge Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:29:15 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=172#comment-912 Lindsay, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think your caterpillar has had it. It sounds like it has got some sort of fungal infection, which is very, very common and happens to a lot of caterpillars. I know I lost over 1/3 of my brood this way. On a side note, one of the interesting things about caterpillars is that they "breathe" through tiny holes, or spiracles, along the side of their bodies. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiracle" rel="nofollow">Check out this link</a> for some great pictures and info on that. It sounds like you did your best but nature just took its course. (I would advise leaving it outside so that it doesn't stink up your place and also so that it can decompose and at least provide a meal for other creatures). Lindsay,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think your caterpillar has had it. It sounds like it has got some sort of fungal infection, which is very, very common and happens to a lot of caterpillars. I know I lost over 1/3 of my brood this way.

On a side note, one of the interesting things about caterpillars is that they “breathe” through tiny holes, or spiracles, along the side of their bodies. Check out this link for some great pictures and info on that.

It sounds like you did your best but nature just took its course. (I would advise leaving it outside so that it doesn’t stink up your place and also so that it can decompose and at least provide a meal for other creatures).

]]> Comment on Leaf Eating Machines Part II: Cecropia Moth Caterpillars, Again by Lindsay Northrup http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/leaf-eating-machines-part-ii-cecropia-moth-caterpillars-again/#comment-911 Lindsay Northrup Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:47:28 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=172#comment-911 I'm pretty sure my catepillar died. I bought it from the MN state fair last Sunday and have been feeding it Ash, and other trees since then. He ate a lot the first couple of day's so I had to replenish the leaves every 12 hours or so, but yesterday it stopped eating. I got worried and noticed the leaves were starting to shrivel from it not eating them so I grabbed some new leaves and pulled it off the old one (with out ripping off a clasper) and then placed it back in with the new leaves. Today it was sitting on the bottom with a trail of feces coming out it's but and looked shrivled up a bit. Not big and fat like it used to. I took it out and it was lifeless other than a tiny bit of twitching. It also has a little slime on it's outer body and quite a bit coming from it's mouth. The slime seems to come out and go back in as if it was breathing. It does move a little when I touch it and it's head and moth seem to move slightly, but all it's claspers are wide open (minus the back one) and it's not doing anything. I tried sticking a oak leave up to it's mouth, but it wont eat it. So I left it in it's mouth and it either pushed it out or the breathing movement I was talking about pushed it out. I can take a picture of it and send it to you if you would like. Please tell me what to do. I don't want it to rot, but I don't want to disturb it either. I’m pretty sure my catepillar died. I bought it from the MN state fair last Sunday and have been feeding it Ash, and other trees since then. He ate a lot the first couple of day’s so I had to replenish the leaves every 12 hours or so, but yesterday it stopped eating. I got worried and noticed the leaves were starting to shrivel from it not eating them so I grabbed some new leaves and pulled it off the old one (with out ripping off a clasper) and then placed it back in with the new leaves. Today it was sitting on the bottom with a trail of feces coming out it’s but and looked shrivled up a bit. Not big and fat like it used to. I took it out and it was lifeless other than a tiny bit of twitching. It also has a little slime on it’s outer body and quite a bit coming from it’s mouth. The slime seems to come out and go back in as if it was breathing. It does move a little when I touch it and it’s head and moth seem to move slightly, but all it’s claspers are wide open (minus the back one) and it’s not doing anything. I tried sticking a oak leave up to it’s mouth, but it wont eat it. So I left it in it’s mouth and it either pushed it out or the breathing movement I was talking about pushed it out. I can take a picture of it and send it to you if you would like. Please tell me what to do. I don’t want it to rot, but I don’t want to disturb it either.

]]> Comment on Eeeeeeek! When Giant Centipedes Attack! by phantommidge http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/eeeeeeek-when-giant-centipedes-attack/#comment-910 phantommidge Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:15:28 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=364#comment-910 well....if I have to tell the truth, it was only 2 inches or maybe 2 and a half. It was the biggest one I've seen so far. well….if I have to tell the truth, it was only 2 inches or maybe 2 and a half. It was the biggest one I’ve seen so far.

]]> Comment on Eeeeeeek! When Giant Centipedes Attack! by Caity http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/eeeeeeek-when-giant-centipedes-attack/#comment-909 Caity Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:32:36 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=364#comment-909 ive found quite a few of those in my house. they were all small though....how big was it really? because all of the one's i have seen are no more than an inch long. ive found quite a few of those in my house. they were all small though….how big was it really? because all of the one’s i have seen are no more than an inch long.

]]> Comment on Eeeeeeek! When Giant Centipedes Attack! by MizMagee http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/eeeeeeek-when-giant-centipedes-attack/#comment-899 MizMagee Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:52:12 +0000 http://lawnchairnaturalist.wordpress.com/?p=364#comment-899 Speechless with horror!!!! Speechless with horror!!!!

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