To measure wing traits on dead butterflies, hold the thorax in one hand and using forceps, remove each wing at its base. Place the wings in a light box and take photographs for measurements. To measure aspects of reproduction, house the adult butterflies in mating cages, allowing one day for male reproductive maturation and one day for mating.
To estimate fecundity, either sacrifice females for egg counts through dissection at set time points or collect eggs daily on host plants. To estimate egg loads, remove the abdomen, place it in PBS, and make a cut along the ventral side. Using forceps, separate the innards from the cuticle and pull the ovaries from the gut, trachea, and other abdomen contents.
Carefully uncurl the four ovarioles within each ovary, and observe the transition from mature, yolked, and shelled eggs to immature follicles. Then, use a counter to tally the total number of mature eggs. To assess the mating status of a dissected female, open the bursa copulatrix and separate the spermatophores.
