Update on the ladybug larvae:
The outside-born ones it seems were mostly eaten / disappeared.
The inside-born ones: Wow, do they ever grow FAST. They did mostly* great, with new ferns added once or twice a day, and a wet cotton ball inside the jar, with cheesecloth lining (triple-folded). Their shed skins were all over as they grew. Gradually over the last ~3 days I've been setting a few loose into the asparagus each day. It was tricky to get them take hold of a new asparagus fern and not fall off as it bounced into place, but it worked with some patience. I could swear I wasn't seeing as many on the plants as I was releasing. Well, sure enough, today as I was out to release the last two*, what did I see but a wasp/hornet in the plant wrestling with a balled-up ladybug larva, one of the bigger ones!! The wasp/hornet flew off with it! Noooooooooooooo........!! Dang it. One beneficial insect eating another beneficial insect. *The last two or three seemed to have something wrong with them starting yesterday -- they seemed to lose their ability to move normally, just lying in place wriggling their legs around, unable to get up and move. I tried placing things there for them to grab onto, but the same issue. So today I just set them loose onto the ground near the asparagus plant.
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