![]() ![]() The top of your cage should be fastened securely to the cage and can either be screen or cheesecloth held on by a rubber band. Placing a few leaves into the container (and changing them everyday) will be sufficient for your caterpillars until they start growing and eating more.Įither an aquarium or one-gallon jar is a suitable cage for your caterpillars. The caterpillars will need fresh host plant as soon as they hatch. The caterpillars will hatch in as few as three days. Keep a close watch on your eggs! Before the eggs hatch, you must determine what host plants they will eat and locate a convenient source of that host plant. Lightly mist the container periodically to elevate the humidity slightly. Remove the eggs from the bag carefully (or tear off the section of bag onto which the eggs were laid) and place them in a small container. When you open the bag again, you are likely to find eggs laid on the surface of the bag. Because females moths are sometimes less picky than some butterflies when it comes to where they lay their eggs, you can simply place the female in a large paper bag and fold it over to close it tightly. Most wild-caught females have already mated (unless they have JUST emerged). If you are lucky enough to find an adult female Saturnid moth such as a Luna, Cecropia, or Polyphemus Moth, you can often coax her to lay eggs. Many nurseries sell several beautiful varieties of milkweed. Milkweed is a very common garden plant as well as a common weed. ![]() The only drawback to raising Monarch caterpillars is the need to find their host plant, milkweed. Nevertheless, raising Painted Ladies on growth medium is still a rewarding experience for the students, and is less dependent on the season outside and which leaves you can find.īutterfly larva of the well-loved Monarch butterfly can be purchased from an organization known as Monarch Watch ( These caterpillars are a favorite for a lot of classrooms because of their bright colors, and because so many people love the Monarch butterfly. In particular, students do not get the full benefit of learning how important it is for caterpillars to have the correct host plant to eat. However, there are drawbacks to raising caterpillars this way. Painted Lady caterpillars are particularly easy to keep because you can buy a growth medium for them, which will eliminate the need to find fresh host plant leaves for them every day. If you are short on time or if the season is wrong for caterpillar hunting, there are several companies that supply caterpillars. Some good host plants to find caterpillars include: Host PlantĬecropia Moth, Viceroy, Red-Spotted Purple Consult field guides to find this information. The best way to find caterpillars is to look for plants that are known host plants for local butterflies and moths. The transformation of a tiny caterpillar through 5 instars, followed by the pupa and finally the beautiful adult butterfly (or moth) may even seem miraculous.ĭepending on the season, where you live, and how much time you have, finding your own caterpillars may be a rewarding task. There are few activities as rewarding as raising butterflies. Taking care of pupae (chrysalides or cocoons).How to keep your caterpillar cage clean.Butterfly School: Raising Butterflies and Moths
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