Fresh Sheet – April 26, 2014

Over 640 pupae will be hanging in the emerging window of our Tropical Butterfly House this week. Why don’t you come hang out with them?


Bioproductores de El Salvador

10 - Archeoprepona demophoon (Hubner’s Prepona)
25 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
10 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
25 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
25 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
12 - Eurytides thymbraeus(White-crested Swallowtail)
15 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
20 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
25 - Lycorea cleobaea (Large Tiger)
25 - em>Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
50 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
25 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
20 - Papilio androgeus (Queen Page)
15 - Papilio garamas (Magnificent Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio torquatus (Band-gapped Swallowtail)
15 - Parides photinus (Queen of Hearts)
18 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
15 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)

Total = 360

LPS-LLC

10 - Athyma perius (Common Sergeant)
10 - Catopsilia scylla (Orange Emigrant)
10 - Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)
10 - Charaxes brutus (White-barred Charaxes)
10 - Charaxes castor (Giant Charaxes)
20 - Charaxes cithaeron (Blue-spotted Charaxes)
07 - Charaxes etesipe(Savannah Charaxes)
10 - Charaxes varanes (Pearl Charexes)
20 - Chilasa clytia (Common Mime)
10 - Doleschalia bisaltide (Autumn Leaf)
10 - Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
10 - Hypolimnas bolina (Blue moon)
10 - Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
10 - Papilio dardanus (Mocker Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio demodocus (Orchard Swallowtail)
20 - Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio memnon (Great Memnon)
20 - Papilio nireus (Blue-banded Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock)
20 - Papilio polytes (Polite Swallowtail)
10 - Parthenos sylvia lilacinus (Blue Clipper)
10 - Parthenos sylvia philippensis (The Clipper)
10 - Parthenos sylvia violaceae (Violet Clipper)
05 - Troides rhadamantus plateni (Platen’s Birdwing)

Total = 282

Grand Total = 642

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.

Fresh Sheet – April 19, 2014

To celebrate their 30th anniversary, our good friends at Costa Rica Entomological Supply have sent us an additional 30 Blue Morpho pupae! Soon our Tropical Butterfly House is going to be a-flutter with our signature butterfly and many others. Stop by!

Costa Rica

10 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
05 - Brassolis isthmia (Small-spotted Owl)
05 - Caligo atreus (Yellow-Edged Giant-Owl)
06 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
51 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
12 - Eryphanis polyxena (Purple Mort Bleu Owl)
22 - Greta oto (Glasswing)
36 - Hamadryas amphinome (Red Calico)
07 - Hamadryas februa (Gray Calico)
52 - Hamadryas laodamia (Starry Calico)
08 - Heliconius cydno (Cydno Longwing)
48 - Heliconius doris (Doris Longwing)
12 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
52 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
12 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
70 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
34 - Myscelia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
07 - Opsiphanes tamarindi (Tamarind Owl)
55 - Papilio thoas (Thoas Swallowtail)
02 - Prepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)

Total = 510

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.

Fresh Sheet – April 12, 2014

More than 600 new pupae from Central and South America are now enclosing in the emerging window faster than we can release them. Visit our Tropical Butterfly House and watch the action!


Suriname

40 - Battus polydamas (Polydamus Swallowtail)
40 - Heraclides thoa (Thoas Swallowtail)
40 - Papilio androgeus (Queen Page)
10 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
25 - Dryas iulia (Julia Longwing)
30 - Anartia amathea (Scarlet Peacock)
40 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
05 - Mechanitis polymnia (Polymnia Tigerwing)
40 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)

Total = 270


El Salvador

20 - Archeoprepona demophoon (Hubner’s Prepona)
25 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
10 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
15 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
10 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
20 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
25 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
07 - Heliconius hortense (Mountain Longwing)
15 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
25 - Lycorea cleobaea (Large Tiger)
20 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
50 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
20 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
10 - Papilio androgeus (Queen Page)
15 - Papilio garamas (Magnificent Swallowtail)
20 - Papilio torquatus (Band-gapped Swallowtail)
10 - Prepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
20 - Prepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)
20 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)

Total = 357


Grand Total = 627

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.

Hurray for Volunteers!

On the occasion of National Volunteer Week, April 6 - 12, Life Sciences Staff post the following tribute:

Cleaning naked mole rat enclosures, pinning butterfly pupae, weeding in our courtyards, watering the plants in our Tropical Butterfly House, logging observations of the organisms in our care, publishing this very blog – these are just some of the many tasks our Life Sciences volunteers do on a daily basis. Volunteers work closely with staff to care for our animals and plants while striving to ensure our guests feel that special sense of wonder while visiting. This week is National Volunteer Week and we want to publicly thank and acknowledge our volunteers for their myriad contributions.

In the last year, Life Sciences Volunteers have given 2,000+ hours. But numbers cannot simply quantify our volunteers’ contributions.

When our volunteers help a guest understand what a chrysalis is or why plants need pruning, they are sharing both their knowledge and their wonder. Their firsthand accounts are compelling and unique – they aren’t just explaining a theory but sharing something they have seen and understand.

Our volunteers also contribute their many world views and experiences. Some have specialized background with botany or entomology. Others revealed amazing talents as teachers, problems solvers, and artists.

Our volunteers generously share their wisdom, humor, high standards and empathy. As enjoyable as our job is, it can be stressful. A shipment of pupae is delayed in the mail, and the extra day may cost us some of the animals. A snake we care for shows signs of aging. The plants in the butterfly house are not where the map says they should be. A hot summer takes a toll on newly transplanted trees. Our volunteers are right there with us, helping us solve problems, and feeling our daily challenges and triumphs.

We get so much more done – and our jobs are so much more fun because of them.

We are also excited since this Saturday (April 12) we will add more than a dozen new volunteers to our team. We are excited to work with these talented individuals and cannot wait to learn what tales and talents they bring to our programs.

Thank you Terry, Allison, Ashlee, Monica, Lanka, Quinn, Jennie, Brian, Sam, Jacob, Taylor, Karna, Aleksandra, Katy, Rachel, Jess, Simone, Danielle, Phoebe, Cathy and Maurice for all that you do for our animals, plants, guests and of course employees! Your contributions make a difference.

The Life Sciences department wants to add a note of thanks to our wonderful Volunteer Talent Manager Chelsea Rodriguez, who recruits, trains, and helps us coordinate our many volunteers. Without her expertise, our program would not have their valuable assistance.

Fresh Sheet – April 5, 2014

It’s Husky Weekend: Paws on Science at Pacific Science Center. Should you want to pause in our Tropical Butterfly House, we will be displaying our latest shipment of butterfly and moth pupae from Malaysia. Come see some very pretty species!


Malaysia

20 - Appias libythea (Striped Albatros)
50 - Athyma perius (Common Sergeant)
20 - Attacus atlas (Atlas Moth)
30 - Catopsilia pyranthe (Mottled Emigrant)
50 - Catopsilia scylla (Orange Emigrant)
60 - Cethosia cyane (Leopard Lacewing)
10 - Doleschalia bisaltide (Autumn Leaf)
60 - Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
10 - Papilio memnon (Great Memnon)
30 - Papilio polytes (Polite Swallowtail)
60 - Parthenos sylvia (The Clipper)
50 - Vindula dejone (The Cruiser)

Total = 450

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.

#500!

This blog post is the 500th entry since our first story was published on May 1, 2009. Over the past five years, we have strived to give readers some insight into our work behind the scenes of Pacific Science Center’s Life Sciences Department. And in addition to telling our stories and explaining our husbandry, we’ve listed every butterfly shipment our Tropical Butterfly House has received!

So what's happened in the past five years? Let’s look at the numbers!

-In the past five years we received 119,236 pupae resulting in 83,657 healthy butterflies and moths among 147 different species.

-Although butterflies have comparatively short lives, our two Chilean rose tarantulas are still going strong. Similarly, the Vietnamese stick insects and the Madagascar hissing cockroaches are reliably trouble-free species in our Insect Village.

-Our naked mole rat colony grew from 21 members in May 2009 to 63 individuals today through the combined efforts of our two queens, Galinda and Elphaba. And now the whole world can keep an eye on their antics through our webcam.

-We have added 526 tide pool animals to our Puget Sound Saltwater touch tank from ten collecting trips over the past five years. During this time we estimate that we have mixed 18,700 gallons of salt water to sustain them.

-Three corn snakes, Tillamook, Nacho, and Pepper Jack, joined our reptile family as we said goodbye to Zea and Maizey. We also lost Estella, one of our sibling red boa constrictors.

-Axolotls had a degree of turnover. Two hatchlings we named Ginger and Gherkin joined Flopsy, Mopsy and Peter Cotton Gills in 2011. Sadly, Gherkin, Mopsy, and Peter are no longer with us.

-Our western painted turtle, Ali, arrived with shell problems that are gradually being addressed. Meanwhile Lydia, our adorable leopard gecko whom we inherited in 2002, remains sooooo cute.

-And lastly, Life Sciences has mentored fifteen Discovery Corps Interns since our blog began. We are grateful for their assistance and have enjoyed helping them progress!

Five hundred is a milestone but not the end. At this time we simply wish to reflect on this benchmark and sincerely thank you - our loyal local, national, and international readers. Stay tuned!