You can often find a list of native caterpillar or butterfly species on your state’s official website. Try asking the librarian at your local library to help you locate books and periodicals that can help you identify native caterpillars in your area. You can find a list of state wildlife websites to help you find caterpillars here: https://www. fws. gov/offices/statelinks. html
Some caterpillars can be dangerous to touch. You may want to take that into account when choosing a type of caterpillar to start looking for. You may want to choose a species of caterpillar that you have ready access to a food source for. Caterpillars prefer leaves from their “host plant” to eat.
Monarch butterfly caterpillars prefer milkweed plants. Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars tend to reside in spicebush. Your best bet to find a Zebra Swallowtail caterpillar is in a Paw-Paw plant. Black Swallowtail caterpillars are commonly found in parsley, dill, or fennel plants. Luna moth caterpillars can be found in both walnut and sweet gum plants. Cecropia Moth, Viceroy or Red-Spotted Purple moth caterpillars can be found in cherry trees.
Some caterpillars enter a state similar to hibernation throughout the colder months. Other caterpillars lay eggs that stay dormant until spring.
Different kinds of caterpillars will leave different eating damage, so it’s important to look for the type of damage caused by the caterpillar you’re looking for. You can find photographic examples of different caterpillar eating damage here: http://www. raisingbutterflies. org/finding-immatures/caterpillar-strip-patterns/
Be careful not to touch fuzzy or spiny looking caterpillars, as the bristles you see may be a defense mechanism that can cause skin irritation. Always wash your hands after handling caterpillars. Use a field guide or a reverse image search on Google to determine which species you found.
Cheesecloth can be used as a lid for enclosures that don’t have a top. Caterpillars cannot chew through cheesecloth but it allows air to travel in and out of the enclosure. If you are going to poke holes in a lid or enclosure to allow airflow, be sure the holes are very small or the caterpillar may find a way to escape through them.
Make sure to place some of the sticks upright, leaned against the wall or top of the enclosure to give your caterpillar a place to climb. Place some sticks on their sides on the bottom of the enclosure as well.
Caterpillars can easily get cut by sharp edges in their enclosure. Make sure the areas around holes you punch are bent or sanded over so they can’t injure the caterpillar. Look at the ways your sticks are positioned to ensure the caterpillar couldn’t easily get trapped under or between them.
If you plan to use the same enclosure for the caterpillars until they hatch into butterflies, you need to ensure there is enough room for them to expand their wings when they emerge from their cocoons.
Caterpillars will eat in their own time, so don’t worry if the caterpillar doesn’t begin eating as soon as you place leaves in the enclosure. If a caterpillar has more than one preferred host plant, add leaves from each to give the caterpillar a few choices. If you are unsure of a caterpillar’s host plant, add a few different kinds of leaves and see which one the caterpillar eats. Use those leaves for food from now on.
Instead of spraying water onto the leaves, you can simply rinse them before you place them in the enclosure, that will provide enough water. If your caterpillar begins to look very dry, try spraying more water into the enclosure.
Replacing the bedding will remove caterpillar droppings and waste that could cause caterpillars to get sick. Remove old leaves any time you place new leaves in the enclosure.
Make sure the new enclosure has enough space for the butterflies to emerge from their cocoons and spread their wings. Be very gentle when removing the cocoons. You can handle them with your hands as long as you are very careful.
You can use the glue from a hot glue gun, cooled slightly so it’s tacky, to attach the pointy end of the cocoon to a twig. You can puncture the pointy end of the cocoon with a needle and thread to hang it in your enclosure, but this can be dangerous, as you may hurt the caterpillar inside.
In the Spring and Summer months, caterpillars will emerge as butterflies at the fastest rate. In the Fall, some caterpillar breeds may remain inside the cocoon for extended periods of time.
If the color of the cocoon changes, the butterfly will likely emerge within the next day or two. If a cocoon’s color becomes extremely dark, it is likely that the caterpillar inside died.
You may want to release your butterfly or moth at this point so it can pursue a mate. To release a moth or butterfly, simply open the container outside and allow it to fly away. You can also feed adult butterflies sugar water.
