January 22nd update

Oct 15th - I had released some lacewings and ladybugs this past spring, so it was nice to see one flying around while we were working outside. There’s quite a few, which make me hopeful for the coming year.

If you look behind the fly you’ll see a very tiny toad. This isn’t one of mine, just a little guy from the pond. 

The toads are getting bigger. They're so cute!

 

Nov 17th - I found this Hackberry butterfly on the ground at school. I picked it up walked to my class, and left it in a bush outside. I came back 2 hours later and it was still there, so I took it home.

Nov 21st- I ordered moss from Amazon. It has not been great so far, after a particularly nasty run in with fungus gnats (my fault, not the seller’s fault) I’m hoping that the moss that is left will survive.

Jan 6th- Clearly this is not an exclusive entomology journal anymore, and even if it was, I think shrimp count as bugs.

The fish have been upgraded to a 30 gallon tank, leaving their previous tank available for moss, then shrimp holding tank, and now Texas Spiny Lizard home.

Jan 22nd - James found a cold lizard in our friend’s driveway and brought it home. It was looking pretty miserable and today it seems happier, but still a little scared. I’m naming him/her/it Jas, for “Te-Jas” which can later be Jasmine or Jasper depending on if I can sex it.

I’ve been wanting to get a manduca moth after the fiasco where I lost one last August, so hornworms for lizard food and some buggy propagation seemed like the way to go. :)

I also changed the layout of my amphibian terrarium to give the growing toads a bigger area to swim in, more space to hide, and incorporate the surviving moss. I also added some cover crop seeds (mustard, clove, and alfalfa). Hopefully those will grow nicely. You can see the bucket for the hornworms behind the reptile terrarium, and once they pupate they’ll go into the mesh enclosure. Until then I have some succulents in there awaiting next week’s cleaning and setup change for Jas.