Miracle or horror?

[Gwynne]

When I left for work today, I fed caterpillars in the two separate. One caterpillar was trying to J hook on a leaf and had been knocked down, either by me or another caterpillar. I tried to turn the leaf and get him back on it hoping he could use the silk to help him stay in place.

I went to work and I came home I found him in a crumpled heap. I started wrapping up the paper towel to dispose of him. On my way home, I had stopped at the good will and had found one of those little hermit crab cages for .50 cents 'in case of an emergency.' I couldnt figure out how to open the top and almost didnt get it, but a man helped me figure it out.

I got out the little cage, put down a paper towel and a leaf, and set the poor, crumbled caterpillar down on it. I walked into the kitchen a couple of times and checked on him. The third time I walked in, I was amazed to see that he was forming the chrysalis! He had already thrown off the head capsule. Like Scott said this morning, the caterpillar was frantically trying to stick the black stem into something. Of course, there was no silk pad. I threw in a piece of lace and I also tried to line up the leaf where he could get it. At this point, I have no idea if he attached the stem and how important it is too have it attached at some point to something. It simply amazes me that he was able to pupate like that. Maybe he would have in if I hadnt moved him but I dont know.

[Pat]

I've had them work out just fine when accidentally pupating off their silk pads, Gwynne. Occasionally I used to take a cotton swab, fuzz it out some and then twirl it around the lid of some older emerged butterflies to twist up some no-longer-needed silk onto the swab -- in a pinch, that works OK for a little guy with no place to attach its cremaster and it's easy to clip the swab to a paper cup long enough for the chrysalis to dry.

[Gwynne]

Thanks, Pat. I was stunned that he could just pupate on the floor of the little cage like that. Maybe he was about to do so anyway in the regular cage. I didnt even realize he was alive at first! As soon as everyone in his cage finishes pupating, which will be in a day or so, I will put him on the floor there so that he will have mesh to climb up on when he emerges.