Preparing for the next generation of triops

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Now that my first generation of triops have finished their lifecycle, I'm preparing for the next generation. This is similar to overwintering bulbs, which is part of the reason all of this appeals to me as a plant person.

The next season of triops will begin when the water from the tank has evaporated, and hopefully the detritus will contain eggs. Of course, they're microscopically small, so I just have to hope, and go through the motions.

If you're wondering how the triops could have produced eggs, considering that they most probably didn't mate, it's because of something called "parthenogenesis". You can Google that to find out more, and it's part of the 300 million year success program of animals like this. They don't need to mate in order to produce fertile eggs.

Of course, there's no guarantee that there will be life. I've planted enough bulbs in my lifetime to know that sometimes you think that you're doing everything right, and it fails. But I remain hopeful. I think that I can express it best this way:  If there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories, and crashes through barriers painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh, well, there it is.

Life will find a way. I'll let you know how it goes.


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