| Forum Home | ||||
| PC World Chat | ||||
| Thread ID: 116868 | 2011-03-23 16:11:00 | Monarch butterfly caterpillars | tut (12033) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1188717 | 2011-03-23 16:11:00 | Got (had) a large Swan plant with many caterpillars. They eventually ate off all the greenery and when I check it yesterday most of the caterpillars (about ten) had walked across a metre and a half of rough ground to another smaller plant. It puzzled me as to how they knew the small plant was there. I have never seen this before. Did they navigate by smell? Do they have eyesight? |
tut (12033) | ||
| 1188718 | 2011-03-23 18:21:00 | Of course they have eyes: The eyes of butterflies are large spherical structures. These are compound eyes consisting of thousands of hexagonal shaped omatidea. Each omatidea, or miniscule sensor, is directed at a slightly different angle from the others. Collectively they are directed in every direction -- up, down, forwards, backwards, left and right. Because of this, butterflies are able to see in virtually every direction simultaneously. Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it's not in their nose (since they don't have one). Sense receptors located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the female smells the male's pheromones). |
pctek (84) | ||
| 1188719 | 2011-03-23 20:16:00 | Of course they have eyes: The eyes of butterflies are large spherical structures. These are compound eyes consisting of thousands of hexagonal shaped omatidea. Each omatidea, or miniscule sensor, is directed at a slightly different angle from the others. Collectively they are directed in every direction -- up, down, forwards, backwards, left and right. Because of this, butterflies are able to see in virtually every direction simultaneously. Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it's not in their nose (since they don't have one). Sense receptors located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the female smells the male's pheromones). Passing off again, pctek? :devil |
WalOne (4202) | ||
| 1188720 | 2011-03-23 20:19:00 | Of course they have eyes: The eyes of butterflies are large spherical structures . These are compound eyes consisting of thousands of hexagonal shaped omatidea . Each omatidea, or miniscule sensor, is directed at a slightly different angle from the others . Collectively they are directed in every direction -- up, down, forwards, backwards, left and right . Because of this, butterflies are able to see in virtually every direction simultaneously . Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it's not in their nose (since they don't have one) . Sense receptors located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the female smells the male's pheromones) . Umm he is talking about the caterpillers . :) |
Trev (427) | ||
| 1188721 | 2011-03-23 20:21:00 | If you don't want to get so many caterpillers go out once a day and squash the eggs that have been laid unders the leaves of the swan plant. :) |
Trev (427) | ||
| 1188722 | 2011-03-23 23:55:00 | The plants have a distintive smell, and a hungry caterpiller will crawl / walk a long way in search of food . We have 7 swan plants all with nil leaves and we are finding lots and lots of drowned caterpillers in the dog water, they even make it inside the house . . . . . apparently they eat thinly sliced pumkin if absolutely starving . . . . . . . only while fresh tho . good luck, survival of the fittest with those things . . beetle :) |
beetle (243) | ||
| 1188723 | 2011-03-24 00:26:00 | Got (had) a large Swan plant with many caterpillars. They eventually ate off all the greenery and when I check it yesterday most of the caterpillars (about ten) had walked across a metre and a half of rough ground to another smaller plant. It puzzled me as to how they knew the small plant was there. I have never seen this before. Did they navigate by smell? Do they have eyesight? Do you know what the other plant was they went too? EDIT: beetle i have never had much luck getting them to eat pumpkin, probably not fresh enough |
Gobe1 (6290) | ||
| 1188724 | 2011-03-24 02:08:00 | They only eat mikweed or swan plant. They will attach their chrysalis to other plants however. |
Zippity (58) | ||
| 1188725 | 2011-03-24 02:27:00 | I was aware that Catapillars have eyes and further reading indicates these eye are only capable of differentiating between light and dark so obvious they couldnt see the other plant (Another swan plant) They do have smell sensors but indications are that this is for close up work like checking out what they are eating. I cant imagine another plant giving out detectable smells over a metre and a half. Also all ten very mature catapillars went about the same time. There is no indications that any others went in a different direction although I could imagine that if food is running out they could go looking for more but that should lead to caterpillars all over the place. As far as I could tell the ten catapillars that were on the original plant all ended up on the new plant at or about the same time. beetle, I have tried out the pumpkin but with no success. As for removing the eggs from the plant I have found that this is less than succesful in the long run and now prefer to let nature take its course. Hard if you are a softy but that is what would happen in nature. I have noticed that when food has run out that catapillars will sometime pupate early resulting in a smaller butterfly |
tut (12033) | ||
| 1188726 | 2011-03-24 02:32:00 | Perhaps have a look here:- www.monarch.org.nz HTH |
Snorkbox (15764) | ||
| 1 2 | |||||