Editha developing to 3rd instar are then able to enter an obligatory summer diapause , a resting stage which allows the larva to survive even several years without feeding. When rains return in mid fall Plantago begins to grow and by January post-diapause editha larvae can be found feeding on sunny days. They are black and spend lots of time basking in the winter sun to raise body temperature to that required for activity. They pupate in February and emerge again in March. Males can cruise from flower to flower looking for receptive females along the way.
Females likewise can alternatively search for Plantago or nectar plants along the same flight path.
This leads to the negative density dependent dispersal mentioned in the first lecture. Travelling to the South and West of Stanford near Livermore is a dry mountain range . The bay race of editha also occurs there in Del Puerto Canyon. Interestingly this habitat also has a serpentine soil but everything else is different. Adult flight period is later than at Jasper Ridge even though the area is hotter and drier.