Hobbies And Interests

How to Find a Caterpillar

You may find gathering and rearing caterpillars to be a fascinating and rewarding experience. Finding, feeding and housing caterpillars - especially those of any endangered species - is a major contribution to enhance the ecosystem. Caring for caterpillars can help ensure they pupate and emerge as winged adults that lay eggs. You can find caterpillars by searching plants or bushes during spring and early summer. According to the University of Wisconsin Entomology Department, the entire life cycle from larvae to pupae for many species is just a couple weeks.

Things You'll Need

  • Field gloves
  • Caterpillar and plant identification guides
  • Collection jars
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Instructions

    • 1

      Familiarize yourself with caterpillar species and the plants they feed on in your area. Have a guidebook or print-out from reputable website(s) with you before heading out for the hunt.

    • 2

      Search for caterpillars on warm, sunny days (70 degrees plus) by looking for leaves with caterpillar dung (also called frass) on them and cut-out sections or holes in them. This is an obvious sign of happy, healthy prolific specimens to get your hands on.

    • 3

      Collect the caterpillars by lifting the entire stem they are feeding on rather than picking them up with your fingers off the stem or leaf. Not only are they quite delicate, but many are also poisonous with barbs or secretions that will irritate your skin.

    • 4

      Place the stems of the food plant and the caterpillar in a jar with holes in the lid for air. Be sure to collect or know you can cultivate enough host plants to feed the caterpillar throughout its short larval stage.

    • 5

      Order caterpillars through an insect supply house if you are short on time or if it is off-season for caterpillar hunting. There are several reputable companies that supply caterpillars for a fee. Ensure that you can also obtain an ample supply of host plants that can be found in the growing season or purchased through a supply house.


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