We currently have three caterpillars in captivity. One is another of the bagmoths, another is something that’s wrapped itself tightly within a basil leaf. The third is a beautiful spiky caterpillar that will (if it lives) change into an even more beautiful butterfly!

Caterpillar, March 2010
We collected a selection of different leaves from our garden in order to discover which one our newest caterpillar liked to eat.

With the latest bagmoth, I was inspired to try an experiment similar to Hubert Duprat. Duprat gave his caddis fly larvae precious jewels and gold flakes to work with when fashioning their cocoons. The results are stunning!

(Pictures are taken from the Cabinet articled linked within the text above.)

Unfortunately, my bagmoth, which was unceremoniously evicted from its cocoon with the help of a cotton bud (q-tip), sulked for two weeks, refusing to build a new home. So I’ve given it back its old home, and perhaps now it’ll just metamorphose to get out of here!

If you liked the idea of those jewel-encrusted cocoons, would you like to keep some hermit crabs in a clear glass shell?