Caterpillar
Nurturing - Knowledgeable - Peculiar
Pet Information
Pet Name: Caterpillar
Owner: Lepidoptera
Theme / Type: Blessed Gurahdi
Born: June 11, 2015
Gender: Female
Mood: Mad
MisticPal Name: Heimlich
MisticPal Age: 3451 Days
Battle Portal Stats
Hit Points: 12 / 11
Strength: 16
Defense: 3
Speed: 18
Intellect: 16
Misticpower: 2
Books Read
Books Read: None
Exotic Foods Eaten
Foods Eaten: 0/1254 [ View Foods ]
Pet Profile
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Heimlich Pal Adventure: 37% June 2015
I've been asked many times how I raise caterpillars. So today I will not just tell you but show you.
All these Pictures are taken by Me!
I will be showing you how I raise Pipevines! (Battus philenor)
The first thing I do is search for eggs!
And then I wait...until they hatch,
There are 15 caterpillars here!
At this stage they are very small and delicate.
As you can see the caterpillar is the same size as the printed year of a Penny! For a better idea of how small that is, find a penny and look at the year! (you'll be amazed)
Then I collect a good amount of food and put it into the refrigerator to keep them fresh. The amount of food depends on their size, the bigger they get, the more they eat.
This species only has one type of plant it eats, Pipevines! (Aristolochia tomentosa) They may eat other types of Arisolochia but I find them only on pipevine.
These plants are toxic so when the caterpillar eat from these plants, they also become toxic if eaten. They also have a tongue-like organ called the Osmeterium, usually above the head. These are used when the caterpillar is felt threatened and can scare their attackers away. The osmeterium also has a distinct smell, most predators don't like.
Now this is only the beginning. Caterpillars take more care than you think.
First: A clean cage is very important, it must be cleaned twice everyday. I don't use soap as I don't know how that will affect the caterpillars but luke-warm water and a paper towel to get all the gunk out. Then I thoroughly dry the cage before placing fresh leaves and caterpillars back inside.
Second is sunlight: Pipevines are day time feeders so they must be in the sun to eat. But it is bad if they get too much sun, so daily checking to make sure they are not over heating.
Third is temperature: I like to keep them in a moderate temperature, again too much heat and they get overheated but too cold and they can freeze to death. I try to keep them at a natural temperate that they would be in the wild.
Fourth: Water is also an important thing. No they don't drink water nor should there be too much where it collects at the bottom of cage, but its used for the leaves to not only keep them fresh but can give the caterpillars a little more nutrients they would get in the wild. Also water will help them get a little cooler on hot days. (I use a spray bottle)
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Growth of a caterpillar:
A caterpillar has 5 growing stages called instars.
Instars are different than just growing, an instar occurs when the caterpillar sheds its old skin for new.
So this is the first instar
And this would be second.
Now we will go to the third
Here is the fourth! I had to use a quarter! It is now 1 Inch and 3/16
In just a couple of days my caterpillar has grown to 2 Inches!! This is still its fourth instar.
When the caterpillar is ready to make its chrysalis it will shed its final skin, the fifth instar.
As babies they where about 3/16 inches but now they are 5/16 inches. That means they grew 1/8th of an inch in three days. That is fast!
Its been three days again and the caterpillars have now grown to 9/16 of an inch. About the time they get to their fourth instar, I now have to feed them 4 large leaves three times a day. That's 12 whole leaves a Day! wow!
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I have very very sad news on August 15, 2015 my Pipevines have all died. I'm not sure the reason it could be from a parasite or insecticide on the leaves. -crys- I hope to continue this next year.
And with time the caterpillars will create their chrysalis.
In a few weeks the chrysalis will break and out comes a butterfly but some will overwinter, meaning they stay inside there chrysalis through winter and emerge in the spring.
The butterfly's wings will be wrinkled, heavy and wet so they have to stay in a safe place until their wings are fully open and dry.
Pipevine with its wings open!
An older pipevine (not as bright and colorful)
While walking I found this butterfly, its wings are torn, possibly from a car.
This shows you have important and delicate wings are. Once the wings are torn, broken, scales get wiped off, or deformed the butterfly can not fly and will eventually die. Though sometimes a torn wing isn't so bad and as long as the butterfly/moth can still fly they can survive. (always be careful when handling butterflies/moths)
I've found a new caterpillar! This is an Io Moth! (Automeris io) Found on Redbud trees.
This caterpillar's body is covered with stinging needles. If touched it feels like a bee sting!
(do not touch)
Getting ready to make its cocoon! (moths make cocoons) Its hard to see but its color is slightly duller than before, telling me its ready!
Many of you may know that insects always have 6 legs but a caterpillar has more than six right?
Wrong though they do have limbs that help walk or hold onto branches but they are not really their legs. So I will show you!
These are prolegs or False legs
These needle like legs, near the head, are the caterpillars True Legs. These are what change into the legs you see on a butterfly/moth.
Sadly I must share this but its part of nature.
That little dot you see on the caterpillar is a type of Encyrtid Wasp. These wasps are parasitic and will lay eggs ontop or within the body of the caterpillar. Once those eggs hatch they will eat off the caterpillar, slowly killing it.
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Other caterpillars I've caught!
Saddleback Caterpillar (Acharia stimulea) Found him on Oak but feeding it Iris leaves. These guys sting!
Lunar Moth! (Actias luna) Found them on Sweetgum trees!
Hag Moth or Monkey Slug! (Phobetron pithecium) Found him eating Ash
Elm Sphinx also known as Four-Horned Sphinx (Ceratomia amyntor)
Caterpillar ^
Adult^ Wingless Female!
White-Marked Tussock (Orgyia leucostigma)
Virginian Tiger or Yellow Woolly Bear (Spilosoma virginica)
Hitched Arches (Melanchra adjuncta) found on Goldenrod
Paddle or Funerary Dagger (Acronicta funeralis) found on Elm
*Paddle caterpillars are Rare to find*
Crowned Slug Moth (Isa textula) found on Oak
And an Unknown!
Anyone know what it is? It was dull green with yellow spots! Its brown now because its ready to pupate.
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Sorry no pictures for these caterpillars yet...
Walnut Sphinx (Amorpha juglandis) Found on Hickory!
Waved Sphinx (Ceratomia undulosa) Found on Ash!
American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana)
Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) found on elm
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Now just for fun here is a Cloud Caterpillar!
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