Any help appreciated! Sorry the pics aren't great--I have to figure out how to get close-ups with my camera.

For those especially interested in this group...

Some authors use Basilarchia instead of Limenitis FWIW (the genus name used for this group on other continents). It gets real confusing identifying the larvae of this genus out west where we have at least L. arthemis rubrofaciata, L. astyanax arizonensis, three subspecies of L. archippus, 5 subspecies of L. weidemeyeri and 2 subspecies of L. lorquini. I was very fortunate to do rearing work for years with Austin Platt (Professor of Biological Sciences at UMBC) on the population biology and genetics of this group in North America. All species can be made to intergrade in lab controlled mating, with the resulting characteristic ratios of those crosses now pretty much known. So they could also hybridize in nature as well where ranges overlap. Some crosses are extremely rare in nature though, even in blend zones. I have a great series on this group and its hybrids in my synoptic collection from my work with Austin, including an example of the rarest of the rare hybrids - an interspecific hybrid form rubidus dark morph that came from a female L. a. archippus X male L. a. astyanax in 1983. At the time it was one of only about a half dozen known. If you really want to know more about the intra and inter specifics of this group (complete with color plates showing the relationships), Austin has published it. My copy is buried somewhere in storage and I can't remember the year or title - sorry.

Last year I saw what looked like a hybrid between the red-spotted purple (b. astyanax) and the white admiral (b. arthemis). It looked like a RSP, but it had very short white bars on the forewings.

We'll see what these turn into!

Thanks again!

Perhaps, these little guys are

http://www.pbase.com/rcm1840/image/48665510

I was worried about the first one because it hadn't been doing much of anything--no eating and no frass while the other one (the brown one) has been munching and making frass.

This morning the first one had molted, so it seems the first order of business is shedding the winter cuticle. I was wondering why it was hanging out on a shriveled brown leaf when there was so many tender leaves to be eating.