August 27th, 2022

I have a few biology projects currently ongoing, some entomology-related, some plant, some amphibian.

My specimen collection is growing

Yellowstriped Armyworm

June 17th - armyworm caterpillar found eating my taro. Captured and kept in a glass jar of substrate and fed taro + monstera leaves. (top two pictures)

July 6th - armyworm grew to 4.5cm and turned green, then dug itself into the substrate to pupate (middle left picture)

July 9th - I dug it up, incorrectly assuming that it would already be a pupa. Instead it was shriveled down to about 2cm and looking pretty gnarly. (middle photo)

July 11th - It successfully pupated despite my intrusions and was transferred into the butterfly enclosure. (middle right photo)

July 24th - We have a moth! It lets me hold it. It never once flew away from me. (lower two photos)

July 29th - Wow, it already died. I was going to give it a different fruit every day of its celebate life but I guess grape, orange, and apple is the most that an armyworm moth could really ask for.

Ox Beetle (Strategus aloeus)

I have been experimenting around with Strategus aloeus since Winter last year. I had a failed go at them once. I lost 7 from a poorly designed terrarium, and became discouraged when my favorite larvae Lila The Destroyer died. 

This is my second season and second attempt at a terrarium. I have a 15 gallon tank for the ox beetles, some common ground beetles, and isopods. No plant life has seemed to accept the conditions, but the bugs are doing rather well! 

I found two adult ox beetles; Gomez and Morticia. Morticia has 5 legs and is the big booty beauty in the lower right photograph of the collage. Gomez has a teeny little horn and is smaller than Morticia (lower left photograph). They spend most of their day digging in the substrate, but sometimes wander around above ground at dusk. 

Two larvae have pupated (Aug 12, Aug 16), which prompted me to go collect 2 more larvae (how I found Gomez). One of the grubs is really feisty like Lila was.

Terrarium from Dec 2021

Larvae (upper right), pupae (upper left) and beetles (lower right).

Rabid Wolf Spider (Lycosidae) 

Yesterday (8/26) I found a HUGE wolf spider in the bathroom. She lived inside my butterfly enclosure briefly. I served her 3 mealworms. I released her into my garden this afternoon. 

Her body length is nearly 2cm but 4.5 cm across her leg-span!

Longhorn Beetle aka Live Oak Root Borer (Cerambycidae) 

We found Angus in our living room on August 19th. I thought he was a cockroach and ran away. I am not sure if Angus indicates a problem for our local Live Oak trees, but he’s living with me now in a separate jar on the shelf. He’s 4.5 cm long and full of anger.

Gulf Coast Toad

We got a pond liner to replace the collapsable pool that we were using for the duck “pond” these past two years. As we drained out the old pond I found 50-70 tadpoles, and like a totally sane person I moved them all into my aquarium. I also added in live plants for controlling nitrate and nitrite levels in the tank. Then I bought a basking rock for them to be able to emerge as they go through metamorphosis. The middle picture is (I suspect) the adult form of these tadpoles.

I also had this dragonfly nymph, but IDK if it’s still in my tank.