Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Finding a caterpillar
• Part 2 of 4: Preparing a habitat for your caterpillars
• Part 3 of 4: Taking care of your caterpillars
• Part 4 of 4: Taking care of the dolls

Taking care of a caterpillar until it turns into a butterfly can be an educational experience for adults and children alike. Caterpillars make great short-term pets and it can be particularly beautiful to watch them transition into a butterfly over time. As long as you provide the caterpillars with adequate food and a secure enclosure, they require little work to keep them happy and healthy as they make the transition to moths and butterflies.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Finding a caterpillar

1. Find out which caterpillars are native to your area. There are 20,000 species of butterflies on this planet, with more than 725 different species in North America alone. Before heading out to look for caterpillars, do some research on which caterpillars are native to the area where you live.
   • You can often find a list of native caterpillar or butterfly species for your country through government or private sites.
   • Ask your local library librarian to help find books and magazines that can help identify native caterpillars in your area.
   • This is a link to a website about caterpillars that may be of use: https://www.vlinderstichting.nl/vlinders/vlinders-herken/rupsen-determineren1
2. Determine which type of caterpillar you are looking for. Once you have identified the types of caterpillars in your area, you can narrow your search by determining which caterpillar you would like to have as a pet. Each caterpillar grows into a different kind of moth or butterfly, so you can make a choice based on the caterpillar or what kind of butterfly you would like to see emerge from the cocoon.
   • Some caterpillars can be dangerous to touch. Keep that in mind when choosing the type of caterpillar to look for.
   • You may be able to choose a type of caterpillar that you have enough food for. Caterpillars prefer to eat the leaves of their "host plant".
3. Research the plants in your garden or environment. Different types of caterpillars (and therefore butterflies) prefer to live in specific types of plants, so it is important to know what type of caterpillar you are looking for to know where to look. The plant preferred by a particular type of butterfly is called a "host plant". Some examples of host plants for certain types of caterpillars are:
   • The caterpillar of the monarch butterfly prefers the wide plant.
   • The caterpillar of the papilio troilus is often found in the lindera.
   • Your best chance of finding a protographium marcellus caterpillar is in the pawpaw (asimina) plant.
   • The papilio polyxenes caterpillars are often found in parsley, dill or fennel plants.
   • Moon butterfly caterpillars are found in both walnut and sweet gum trees.
   • Cecropia Moth, Viceroy or Red-Spotted Purple moth caterpillars can be found in cherry trees.
4. Start your search in the spring. Different caterpillars are more active at different times of the year, but almost all caterpillars can be found in the spring and summer months. You probably won't be able to find caterpillars after the start of fall.
   • Some caterpillars enter a hibernation-like state during the colder months.
   • Other caterpillars lay dormant eggs until spring.
5. Watch for damage from eating caterpillars. It may not be easy to spot a caterpillar right away. Caterpillars often fuse with their environment as a defense mechanism against predators. One way to find a plant that is likely to contain caterpillars is to look for signs that a caterpillar has recently fed on the plant.
   • The damage that eating caterpillars leave is different for each species, so it is important to look for the type of damage caused by the caterpillar you are looking for.
   • You can find examples of damage caused by the different types of caterpillars here: http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/finding-immatures/caterpillar-strip-patterns/
6. Catch a caterpillar by letting it come to you. Caterpillars cling tightly to the leaves and branches they sit on, so pulling on the caterpillar can injure the animal or even pull its legs off. Instead, you place your hand, a leaf or a twig, in the path of the caterpillar and let it crawl on it to move it.
   • Be careful not to touch hairy or spiny caterpillars, as the hairs you may see could be a defense mechanism that leads to skin irritation.
   • Always wash your hands after handling caterpillars.

Part 2 of 4: Preparing a habitat for your caterpillars

1. Choose a container for your caterpillar. Caterpillars don't need extensive enclosure to keep them safe and healthy. A bottle of about four liters, an aquarium or reptile enclosure are all fine. Check that the container can be covered and that sufficient air can flow in and out. Cover the bottom of the container with paper towels for easy cleaning.
   • A cheesecloth can be used as a cover for living areas without a lid. Caterpillars cannot chew their way through cheesecloth, but it allows plenty of air to pass through.
   • If you are making holes in a lid or housing to allow airflow, make sure they are very small so that the caterpillar cannot escape through them in any way.
2. Place sticks or twigs in the caterpillar habitat. Caterpillars need sticks and twigs to crawl around on and eventually hang on when they start making a cocoon. In addition, twigs and sticks will also make the caterpillars feel more comfortable, as in a natural environment.
   • Make sure to place some of the poles upright, against the wall or top of the enclosure, so your caterpillar has a place to climb.
   • Also put a few sticks on the bottom of the living space.
3. Make sure the enclosure is safe for the caterpillar (s). Once you have set up the living area, check it again carefully for safety for your caterpillar friend. Caterpillars can easily hurt themselves or become trapped if a habitat is not properly put together.
   • Caterpillars can easily be injured by sharp edges in their housing. Check to see if the areas around the holes you poke are chipped or sanded so they don't injure the caterpillar.
   • Pay attention to the way you have placed the poles so that the caterpillar can't just get caught underneath or in between.
4. If you keep several caterpillars, make sure there is enough space. If you have more than one caterpillar in the habitat, it is important that you provide each caterpillar with enough space to thrive. Make sure that at least three times the body length of each caterpillar goes into the enclosure.
   • If you plan to use the same housing for the caterpillars until they emerge as butterflies, then you must make sure there is enough room for them to unfold their wings as they emerge from their cocoons.

Part 3 of 4: Taking care of your caterpillars

1. Place food in the living area. Caterpillars eat the leaves of the host plants on which you often find them. Take some of the leaves of their preferred plant and place them in the enclosure with them to serve as a food source.
   • Caterpillars eat on their own time, so don't worry if the caterpillar doesn't start eating as soon as you put leaves in the enclosure.
   • If a caterpillar has more than one preferred plant, lay out leaves from each plant to give the caterpillar a few choices.
   • If you are unsure of a caterpillar's host plant, give a few different types of leaves and see which one the caterpillar eats. Then use those leaves as a food source.
2. Provide your caterpillars with a water source. Caterpillars need water daily. Do not place a saucer of water in the housing, otherwise the caterpillars may fall in it and drown. Rather, spray some water on the leaves every day so that the caterpillars can drink from the droplets.
   • Instead of spraying water on the leaves, you can just rinse them before placing them in the enclosure - that will provide enough water.
   • If your caterpillar starts to look particularly dry, spray a little more water in the measuring area.
3. Clean the case every day. You must regularly remove eaten leaves. Depending on the plant, leaves can be kept for a week or dry out after a few days. It is therefore wise to replace the paper towels that you have laid out as ground covers.
   • Replacing the bedding removes caterpillar droppings and debris that could otherwise cause the caterpillars to get sick.
   • Remove old leaves every time you put new leaves in the housing.
4. Move the crawlers. If the enclosure does not provide enough space for your caterpillars to emerge from their cocoons and spread their wings, you will need to move the cocoons to a larger enclosure as soon as they pupate.
   • Make sure that the new enclosure has enough space for the butterflies to emerge and spread their wings.
   • Be very careful when removing the cocoons. You can move them with your fingers as long as you are very careful.

Part 4 of 4: Taking care of the dolls

1. Hang the cocoon in its own container. If you are going to move the butterfly cocoons, it is best to simply move the twig from which it is hanging to a new, larger space. If that's not an option, there are a few ways to hang the cocoons in their new habitat.
   • You can use the glue from a hot glue gun, cooled slightly so that it is tacky, attaching the pointed end of the cocoon to a twig.
   • You can puncture the pointed end of the cocoon with a needle and hang it in your casing by a thread. However, the danger is that you will injure the caterpillar inside.
2. Base your expected timeline on the season. Most caterpillars will emerge as butterflies from their cocoons within ten to 14 days, but some will not emerge at all during the winter months.
   • In the spring and summer months, caterpillars will hatch the fastest as butterflies.
   • In the fall, some types of caterpillars can remain in the cocoon for extended periods of time.
3. Notice if the cocoon changes color. You know that the butterfly quickly emerges from its cocoon when it changes color. Some will darken in color, while others will be transparent, depending on the type of moth or butterfly.
   • If the cocoon changes color, the butterfly will likely emerge in a day or two.
   • If a cocoon turns very dark in color, it is likely that the caterpillar inside it has died.
4. Provide the butterfly with food. Many butterflies and moths do not have a digestive tract once they reach the butterfly stage of their life. These butterflies and moths usually have a lifespan of only a few days. Some others can eat. Be sure to put down a few leaves from that butterfly's wall plants in case you eat butterfly or moth.
   • It is good to release the moth or butterfly at this point so that it can find a mate.
   • To release moths or butterflies, all you have to do is open the container outside and let them fly away.