Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Put enough sand or dirt in the bottom of a gallon jar or similar container to make a 3-inch layer. Add several fresh leaves of a solanaceous plant. Examples include tomato, potato, pepper and eggplant. Keep the jar near a window so it gets natural light.
Put the hornworm in the jar. You can leave the jar open at this point; the caterpillar cannot crawl up the sides of a gallon jar. If you put plant stems into the jar along with the leaves, make sure you don't unintentionally provide a ramp up to the lip of the jar that the caterpillar can crawl on.
Add new leaves a few times a day, whenever the supply gets low. Greenish-black insect feces will accumulate at the bottom of the jar. You can leave it there until the caterpillar transforms, but you can also remove it if it bothers you or becomes excessive.
Put the handkerchief over the mouth of the jar and secure it with a rubber band once the caterpillar disappears into its chrysalis. Hornworms spin their chrysalises underground, so you may think that the caterpillar has escaped the jar. Examine the sand or dirt layer through the sides and bottom of the jar; if you're lucky, you'll see a tunnel that leads down to the chrysalis.
Watch for a sphinx moth to appear in the jar. During early summer, the transformation takes about four weeks. During late summer or fall, the moth will not emerge until the following spring.
Release the moth outside. If you want to see the moth feed, release it in an area with flowers. Sphinx moths prefer large, deep-throated flowers that occur singly rather than in bunches.