Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Daily Picture 84 started 12-11-10, 1 by lepfarmer

lepfarmer wrote:
Made it through the night with no problems -- heaters kept the greenhouses and flight cage warm enough but not toasty by any means. Was feeling a little relief this morning and then the threat of rolling blackouts came on the news. I didn't think it would be possible, but I managed to snag (rent) the last generator from Home Depot and now have it installed and ready to use if need be.

Here's a random butterfly pic -- a Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) larva. Believe it or not, these guys (in smaller, earlier instars) are down on the ground buried in the leaf litter beneath your hackberry trees, riding out this cold spell, perfectly happy and safe. In spring when the new leaves appear they'll awaken from their diapause and crawl up the tree trunk to find a nice meal and finish their metamorphosis.

Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com