Cecropia Moth Project, Day 39

No real updates to share other than a dramatic episode from last night. A bit of a traffic jam occurred atop one of the leaf stems, and this resulted in some unfriendly poking, prodding, and theatrical writhing by the caterpillars. Ultimately the jam was cleared up, but not without these initial fisticuffs.

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 36

5th instar Cecropia caterpillar 

As we suspected, the caterpillars molted again! We're a little confused about what this means. Are they still in the 5th instar stage? Do they change twice in the 5th instar stage? We need to do some research.

Unlike with previous molts, the caterpillars' appearance was nearly unchanged after this molt. However we did note more pronounced black spots on the tail horns and an angling of the back horns. The suctions on the feet are also much larger.

Bottom caterpillar is mid-molt. You can see that the yellow spikes don't have black rings or spots yet. These develop over a few hours.

I was able to capture video of the last parts of the molt, during which the caterpillars shed their skin.

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 33

Two 5th instar Cecropia caterpillars (one further along) before we released them on to a maple

This past weekend we finally decided to release more caterpillars into the wild. Despite the fact that we found a good way to collect leaves, we still couldn't keep up with their eating habits. We let five off onto the same maple tree in Atwater Village where we released the previous group.

We now have four caterpillars who remain in the 5th instar stage. Unlike other 5th instar caterpillars we've seen in our research, our caterpillars are not yet exhibiting orange frontal horns. We are wondering if this means that they will be molting again, or if they will just continue to change in color as they grow.

Some changes we've noticed include: increased feeding that happens in short, hasty bursts, increased frassing (we change out the bottom paper towel every day or so), and a new interest in hanging upside down from the underside of the cardboard leaf stand. They hang like this whenever they are not eating.

5th instar Cecropia caterpillars hanging upside down. Apologies for the bad picture quality.

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 27

5th instar Cecropia caterpillars, bursting with flavor

Most of the Cecropia caterpillars are in the 5th instar stage now, with bulbous yellow horns and plump blueish bodies. The transition into this stage is pretty dramatic - the caterpillars shed a gross brownish layer that bunches up near their rear quarters (shown in the picture below).

5th instar Cecropia caterpillar with shed skin

As the caterpillars have grown, so has their frass. It is large and we are regularly clearing off the water tube stand and bottom paper towel.

5th instar Cecropia caterpillar flanked by two 4th instar fellows. This photo was taken two days ago and the 5th instar caterpillars have since taken on a bluer hue and rounder body shape (as shown in the other pictures).

We have a new technique for collecting maple leaves and we haven't been worrying so much about keeping up with the feeding. Oliver uses a welding rod to reach up and pull down small sections of branch that we place in a cup of water after returning home. We then pull individual leaves off as needed and place them in the water tubes. It's a great method, allowing us to collect more leaves at once. However, Oliver looks like a bit of a criminal creeping around residential streets at night with what looks like a crowbar in hand. If you're going to use this method, don't get shot.

5th instar Cecropia caterpillars. The one on the right is further behind.

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 24

4th instar Cecropia caterpillar, side view

Just a quick photo update to show the Cecropia caterpillars in all of their 4th instar glory. We still have nine caterpillars, and we've been able to find enough maple leaves to keep up with the demand.

4th instar Cecropia caterpillar, aerial view

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 20

It's day 20 and the Cecropia caterpillars are getting huge! We still have nine, and all but a couple are in the 4th instar stage. The 4th instar caterpillars have red and blue spines, and the further along caterpillars have a powder blue line along their backs. They are eating a lot, as usual, and it's interesting to watch them amble along the leaf edges with their new bulky bodies.

They are growing quickly, and we will drop more caterpillars off on a maple tree this weekend while collecting leaves.

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 17

3rd instar caterpillar

We are beginning to get rid of caterpillars as we can't keep up with their consumption habits much longer. We plan to keep three total (out of the 14). Yesterday we dropped five caterpillars off on a maple tree in Atwater Village. We kept the caterpillars on a small leaf that they'd been clinging to within the habitat, and we attached this leaf to the maple tree with string to ensure that it would not blow away. By the time we were done tying the string, one caterpillar had already moved on to the tree. In the coming weeks we will drop more caterpillars off until we are left with only three.

Caterpillar molting into the 3rd instar stage

Two of the remaining nine caterpillars have molted into the 3rd instar stage, and a third caterpillar is in progress as I type. The orange and powder blue spines are very flashy. You can see the shed skin and little popped off hat in the picture above.

Cecropia Moth Project: Day 15

Just a brief update to show how quickly things are changing. In a matter of two days, some of the caterpillars have taken on a greenish color. You can see a difference between the smaller, yellower individual on the left, and the fat, green guys on the right.

We have noticed that the caterpillars are much more interested in the green maple leaves than in the larger, redder ones. They have almost completely annihilated the green leaf we placed in their habitat, and they are now slowly moving to the redder leaves. We are going to try to collect more prize green leaves today.

Cecropia Moth Project, Day 13

2nd instar caterpillar. Resembles a school bus.

It is day 13, and almost all of the caterpillars are now in the 2nd instar stage. We are waiting on three stragglers who have been sitting motionless since yesterday, so they should be molting soon.

The 2nd instar caterpillars are eating a lot and growing quite large. They have developed black spiny bristles, which look scary but are actually harmless. Some caterpillars do develop poisonous bristles as a defensive measure, but these Cecropia caterpillars operate on pure deceit.

2nd instar caterpillars plus a small 1st instar. The arrow points to shed skin left behind.

We are beginning to get a sense of what to expect from future instar stages as far as consumption and size. We will not be able to sustain 14 of these gluttons, and we've decided that we will keep 3. The rest we will release onto one of the maples from which we've been taking leaves.