# The Caterpillar Thread!



## Mikaila31

I raise a couple species of moth and butterflies. Last night my cecropia moth eggs started hatching . I am pretty sure all the adult moths are done emerging from their cocoons. The last male moth died yesterday. So now the cycle starts anew! I also have some monarch butterflies that are close to emerging and I plan on trying a new moth this year, the Luna moth. 

Here is the first cecropia moth from earlier this spring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-YE1rQ6FQ

Baby cecropia caterpillars hatching 




























The first batch of monarchs from about a week ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-peUYbNsIw


----------



## Plecostomus

That's AWESOME! Luna moths are really cool.


----------



## funlad3

Cecropia moths are awesome! We found some great ones in Minoqua Wisconson.


----------



## ZebraDanio12

Thats pretty cool. I once did a school project back in ....uh 3rd grade? about all the butterflies and moths in SC. My dad found a luna moth and it laid eggs so I raised a couple of them...Pretty cool.


----------



## TheOldSalt

Nice!!
I used to raise monarchs some 35 years ago, but never tried moths.


----------



## PuterChickFL

I will, VERY CAREFULLY, skip around this thread. My fear of caterpillars is epic (yet, I still clicked....) these things are still hatching about? I thought it happened once a year? (now i'm really creeped out lol)


----------



## Mikaila31

PuterChickFL said:


> I will, VERY CAREFULLY, skip around this thread. My fear of caterpillars is epic (yet, I still clicked....) these things are still hatching about? I thought it happened once a year? (now i'm really creeped out lol)


Well I will warn you cecropia cats get gigantic lol. Right now they are still around 1/4", and hatched at maybe 1/8" long, but they will top off at close to 4" in 40 days. I few are still hatching from the single batch I had. I received luna moth eggs and some additional cecropia eggs today as I have inbred mine the last 2 years. 

ATM I have TONS of baby caterpillars. Normally there is a pretty large die off right away, but most of them took to the food very well. If they keep doing this well I will have to rehome and release a bunch of them. I haven't counted nor plan to but there are likely 150-200 of them growing fast. ATM they live in small Tupperware containers and are upgraded as they grow. My apartment would probably terrify you as they spend a lot of their time in open storage bins when they get older. As long as you keep their leaves fresh they don't go anywhere lol. 

Cecropia have always been my favorite, mostly cuz I love the caterpillars. While they look pretty boring now they will soon easily rival the awesomeness and beauty of the adult moth. They change colors pretty drastically every time they shed which is every couple weeks. 

Here is a bunch from a day ago ^_^


----------



## PuterChickFL

that's 150-200 too many lol

i was on a photo forum a year or so ago and someone took a closeup photo of one, and I was totally unprepared for it. colorful but no thanks lol i dont care how tiny they are, i know its a caterpillar and that's enough for me


----------



## Mikaila31

Awwwww. To me they are like Pandas of the bug world lol. The cecropias are starting to reach the 2nd instar(first shedding). No more boring black ^_^




















The luna moth eggs I ordered also started hatching this morning. Spent half the day hoping they would take to wild cherry which is what the cecropias eat but didn't seem to be working so I trying walnut now which they are taking to slowly.


----------



## PuterChickFL

EEEEKK!!!!!

why do I still come here tho? LOL


----------



## emc7

kind of cute. But if I had them, I'd leave them out for the mama robin to feed her baby in the hanging basket my the front porch.


----------



## Mikaila31

LOL they are reaching the point where momma robin is more likely to pass them up then try eating them. They can't bite, sting, or poke you nor are they poisonous but their appearance is more then enough to make predators thing twice. Their spines are not hard to the touch but I doubt pleasant to a bird trying to swallow them lol. 

They started reaching the 3rd instar today. The 3rd and 4th instars are the prettiest IMO. They look funny right after they shed with a oversize head and feet. I'm starting to look for people and nature centers that want some but I will probably release over 100 into the wild.


----------



## PuterChickFL

I can do it.....
I can do it.....
I can do it.....

::faints::

lol kinda cute in an eeky kinda way lol


----------



## Mikaila31

Growing fast. Had a few reach the 4th instar today. Unfortunatly I had a bit of a disaster last week that thinned out about 1/3 of my caterpillars. I collected some leaves while visiting my parents house and turns out they had been sprayed with pesticides a few days before. Only took about 15 minuets to send the caterpillars to there doom. The ones I still have are just the lucky ones that didn't eat any before I removed it all.


----------



## PuterChickFL

Ok these are interesting now. 

But somehow if I saw a live one moving around I might scream bloody murder


----------



## Fish chick

They're so ugly they're cute. I personally don't like caterpillars, but moths and butterflies can be sooooo pretty!


----------



## Mikaila31

Just keep growing 










Luna moth caterpillar now 18 days old. 



















Video of a luna caterpillar shedding if your brave enough. The biggest caterpillars I think have about a week before they start cocooning. Shedding is a process that takes about a whole day though the actual shedding part is maybe 10 minuets. If its not completed properly it can easily be a death sentence for the caterpillar. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg1IEwZJYAA&feature=youtu.be


----------



## PuterChickFL

AHHH AHH AHHHHHHHH it touched me!

Definitely not brave enough for a video. Very interesting tho


----------



## Mikaila31

Had a cute hickhiker this morning. Must of came in on the leaves I got. It a tiger swallowtail caterpillar.


















The cecropias have reached their 5th and final instar. Which means they are getting very big now. 



















After you eat some moar =3 lol iz fat


----------



## emc7

lol thats caterpie and a metapod.


----------



## PuterChickFL

That one with the eyes scared the crap out of me. The other ones are kinda cool looking!


----------



## ZebraDanio12

Ooh gosh those are Huge! >_< Tigerswallows are my state butterfly


----------



## PuterChickFL

honestly I cant believe I'm looking at them. they kinda look not real in a way. i'm sure my feelings would be different if they were in person...


----------



## Cory1990

Omg that one was huge! No way would I put that thing close to my hand.


----------



## Cory1990

I like the cute furry ones hire in Wisconsin, I handed one to my son when he was about 2 he freeked out and squished it lol. The cutest thing ever if you minus the crying because how scared he was.


----------



## toddnbecka

Nice pics, I haven't seen any of those before. I've only seen one adult luna moth in my lifetime, they seem fairly rare around here.


----------



## Mikaila31

They are more common then many people realize. However they are rarely seen. I've seen a few wilds up in northern Wisconsin before and usually one silk moth visits during the year at my folks house. The male moths are attracted to light so populations don't do well in cities. Caterpillars are less commonly seen then moths. The cecropia though ranges over most the entire eastern US, from Wisconsin to Florida. I'm sure many people can live within their range and never encounter one. 

I'm not a fan of furry caterpillars, but my folks run a daycare though and many of the kids there(usually 3-4yrs) love to hold these caterpillars. 

Now for the update. All but 2 of the lunas have cocooned so far. Maybe a few more days for the 2 runts to catch up. Once they cocoon I usually let them be for 48 hours then I remove a lot of the material they spent so long sewing together lol. Makes for easier storage on my part and the dead leaves don't help them much in a cardboard box. The box is where they spend the next 9-10 months. The cecropia will join them when they are ready. 

Two cocoons









Some of the cecropia are very close to cocooning. I have about 10 this size but there are ~80 in total. Most will be released soon. I go on vacation the 25th and most all of then need to be gone or cocooned by then. I'll probably put a few calls out to nature centers and stuff too. I've let a good 2 dozen younger ones go already. Even after years of raising these guys still amazes me they can go from 1/8" grain of rice to a giant 4" caterpillar in 40 days. 




























A wild caterpie! He's busy being adorable. Video of me pissing him off here. FYI he is a snake mimic and does his best to make you believe it .









An additional hitchhiker. These guys were lucky not to get eaten by the cecropia, who are their close cousins lol. They are promethea moth caterpillars. I'm gonna keeping them for now, may let them go when I move in Mid August. Caterpillars are worst then fish cuz its so easy to raise them then just set them free if you get to busy lol.


----------



## Fish chick

The one you have a video of is beyond adorable!


----------



## PuterChickFL

omg he is *HUGE*


----------



## giggitygiggity

Wow, this is super cool! I never seen caterpillars like that! Only black fuzzy ones here in San Diego


----------



## Cory1990

I though the snake one was fake but wow I have never seen anything like that. Is that a Wisconsin native? I use to live in Baldwin and iv never seen one like these and I love hiking so I'm always in the woods.


----------



## Mikaila31

Yeah he is a tiger swallowtail which is a pretty common butterfly and a Wisconsin native. You have probably seen the butterfly lots. 









Its their caterpillar and is probably one of the cutest caterpillars you can find. Otherwise they wouldn't of made a pokemon after it lol. They are fun to keep and easy to raise, but they don't readily mate in captivity like the silk moths do. Most butterflies feed and live quite while, they can also be surprisingly territorial. Two butterflies 'dancing' in flight is often a territorial dispute between males. But we humans like to think they are too pretty and carefree to be aggressive in anyway


----------



## PuterChickFL

Those "eyes" are just spooky


----------

