Portable Cages - Female Oviposition Techniques - Raising Butterflies--How to find and care for butterfly eggs and caterpillars

Female Oviposition Techniques > Portable Cages

The term "portable cage" refers to a small, single unit I assemble for live females of smaller butterflies such as checkerspots, crescents, painted ladies, whites, and sulphurs, satyrs, and skippers. Portable cages eliminate the setup/break down time of the open screen cages and can come in handy on when you're looking to get eggs out of butterfly females while traveling. To use a portable cage, simply poor some water into the bottom of the cage and wipe down with paper towel (so the female doesn't get her wings stuck at the bottom of the cage. Place cuttings of the larval hostplant in the holes.

Desert Orangetip females

Here are four desert orangetip (Anthocharis cethura pima) females on Caulanthus lasiophyllum var. utahensis. This plant is one of three mustards that only germinate if the Mojave Desert gets sufficient mid-winter moisture during a certain time window somewhere between December and February. If this does not occur, host plant mustards DO NOT germinate and the butterfly does not fly that year.
Desert Orangetip Females II

Here are the same desert orangetip females with the lid off.
Spring White female on host Streptanthus

Here is a Pontia sisymbri nigravenosa female on host Streptanthus cordatus.
California Patch Female

Here is a California Patch female (Chlosyne californica) on host Viguera deltoidea parishii. California Patches are brushfoots that belong to the subfamily Melitaeinae. They generally lay their eggs in large clutches on the hostplant where the larvae feed gregariously (together) until they reach late instars.
Field Crescent Female

Here is a Phyciodes pulchellus camillus female set up on aster.
Field Crescent Female II

Here is a close photo of the same female field crescent.
Anicia Checkerspot female on Penstemon

This is a photo of a Euphydryas anicia hermosa female on host Penstemon eatonii.
Anicia Checkerspot II

With the lid on.
Buckeye Females on Plantain

Precis coenia females on host Plantago major.
Large woodnymph females

Live females of woodnymphs (genus Cercyonis) seem to prefer to oviposit on dead grass blades as these butterflies overwinter as unfed first instar. After you obtain eggs from females, it generally takes the ova 17 to hatch in the lab. It is possible to force them out of diapause by providing young larvae with VERY healthy grass blades. It takes caterpillars about three months to go through to adult; so, you may be feeding woodnymph caterpillars grass through the holidays :o)
Neominois ridingsi female

Banded greyling female (Neominois ridingsi) oviposits on Pseudoroegneria spicata grass. Sometimes females will lay eggs right on the side of the cage.
Neominois ridingsi II

Closer shot.
Close up of eggs laid on cage

Sometimes females will lay eggs on the cage itself. When this happens with satyrids, it's not too difficult to pop the eggs off and let emerge in another container or solo cup.
Taxiles Skipper female on grasses

The taxiles skipper (Poanes taxiles) oviposits on most any large-bladed grasses. Here in Northern Utah, I like to use Bromus inermus. Found in moister, shadier areas of mountain canyons, this grass works well in the lab; both to entice females to lay eggs; but also to feed larvae. Many hesperine skippers, eventhough specialists in the field, can be generalists in the lab. (I.e, they will oviposit and feed on many grasses.)
Poanes taxiles II

Close up of taxiles skipper female ovipositing on Bromus inermus.
Grizzled Skipper Setup

Here is the setup for grizzled skipper females (Pyrgus centaureae loki).
Grizzled Skipper Females

Here are two grizzled skipper females (Pyrgus centaureae loki) set up to oviposit on cinquefoil (Potentilla ovena and Potentilla hippiana.) Larvae have been reared to pupae on Potentilla hippiana and Fragaria vesca in the lab.