Our New Friend
- neohippy111
- Sep 16, 2017
- 1 min read
WOWEE! Just take a look at this big guy! Meet the newest addition! This summer we found the most amazing caterpillar I've ever seen in nature! He's (or she's, I have no idea but I've been mostly calling it a boy, so we'll stick with that) a big fat hyalophora kasloensis caterpillar!
He was HUGE! Not sure the pictures really do him justice, because he was a giant! We had no intention of keeping him, we are generally a strict catch and release family, however moments after we placed him in a jar he began to make his cocoon! Once I identified it and learned a little about his life cycle we decided it would be best just to keep him as is and release him in the spring as a beautiful moth. I built a shelf for him in our shed and will make sure he stays safe and moist until he is ready to emerge in the spring.
Apparently this species is not terribly rare, not as I would have expected, since neither of us had ever seen one before. They are a type of silk moth found in many parts of North America. If you're curious you can read a bit more about them on the Bug Guide here.
This experience has peeked my interest for raising caterpillars and has gotten us thinking about breeding them! Their frass, aka poopies, makes excellent fertilizer and by breeding varieties on decline we can help local population of native species. It's been an excellent learning experience for our kids as well.
Plus! They're just plain cool!
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