nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonatura
nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:nanonaturalist:My coworkers bring me gifts; every bug they find in the hall ends up in a little cup on my desk. Today’s friend is a little caterpillar. What would a caterpillar be doing in a building? Well, before they pupate, many moth caterpillars go through a wandering phase, where they leave their host plant (where a smart predator could easily find them), and wander around until they find a spot where they think, “Yes. This is it. My destiny.” Then they start chewing stuff up, spinning a cocoon (if they like), maybe burying themselves underground, then pupate. I gave this baby a little piece of napkin, and they immediately started chewing it up to make silk to spin a cocoon. Cocoon spinning has been happening all day and we are making great progress!February 6, 2018Update! We’re working on the other end now!Baby’s under the blankie!More news on Cocoon Watch 2018. Baby has separated the layers of napkin and is spinning a cocoon INSIDE. I’m so proud Look at that cute little butt peeking out. It’s almost time to go home, thinking I’ll bring the baby with me to make sure they stay safe. We named the baby “Slina Serviette,” which roughly translates to “‘Kin Napkin” or “Nap Napkin” in a mashup of European languages, and we have designated the common name of this species as “Napkin Weaver.”Cocoon Watch 2018 update: Baby Slina is chewing up the bottom layer of napkin so we can watch them pupate. So considerate Day 2: Baby Slina is SO TIRED and ready to pupate!Day 3: BABY SLINA PUPATED!!!The pupa will harden and turn dark in a few hours. Stay tuned!As promised, darker and darker! I noticed Baby Slina got stuck on the plastic of the cup right after pupating, so I gently moved them onto a napkin. Their wing looks like it got a little damaged, but I think it will be okay. These two photos are several hours apart. Baby is still wiggly!Day 4: Baby Slina, darker and wigglier. Some moth pupae stay pretty active, and Slina appears to be one of them!Guess what?!Our family is growing Day 5? Cocoon Watch 2018 is eternal -- source link