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Project Noah Nature School
Vanessa cardui
As these animals are cold blooded and their life cycle does not depend on a certain number of day/night cycles, temperature can greatly effect the times presented here. At 90 °F (32 °C) the entire life cycles will take roughly 16 days. At 65 °F (18 °C) the life cycles will take months. At such extreme temperatures one can expect some deaths. At room temperatures the egg takes three to five days to hatch. The eggs are tiny, as tiny as a sugar crystal. They are green and ribbed and can be observed best with a magnifying glass. It is possible to view the cap at the top of the egg where the caterpillar will emerge.
Spotted on Mar 11, 2013
Submitted on Mar 11, 2013
