raising caterpillars

We're raising caterpillars here in the Granger household these days. Luke brought one in about a week ago and asked to keep it. So I punched a few holes in the top of a plastic container and we put it in with some leaves. I am amazed that it is still alive. Luke named it Fuzzy Gold. (it has fuzzy golden fur)

A couple of days ago we took the plunge and bought a little bug habitat. The little plastic tree and fake paper leaves look so real, I think we have Fuzzy fooled into thinking it is living in its natural environment - especially with the photo of a serene lake and trees attached to the back!

Today Jay found another one. We've haven't named it yet.



Here are some things I have learned about caterpillars.


1)They shed/molt. After a couple of days Luke told me there was another caterpillar in the container. We looked closer and realized it was its skin (interesting but a little icky)
2)They poop...a lot. Little black caterpillar pellets are all over. (not so interesting and much more icky)
3)We were watching it eat a leaf last night and it has these little pincer things that it eats with. It went up and down the leaf very systematically. It reminded me of watching some people eating corn-on-the-cob.

Just now I went looking on-line for what kind of caterpillar it is. For as pretty as it is I thought it would become some kind of beautiful butterfly. I was disappointed to learn that it is probably an Eastern Tent Caterpillar. One of the pesky ones that makes the "tents" on our trees and eventually becomes a brown moth. Kind of takes the excitement out of it for me.