Polyphemus Moth

About a month ago my friend Seth caught this green caterpillar for me. It was bright green and really fat. I brought it home and looked it up in my insect guide. I thought it was a polyphemus caterpillar, but I wasn't quite sure. Well about threee days later it spun this really neat cocoon that looked liked spun thread. It was in that stage for about two weeks. I thought it had died actually because I had never had a caterpillar like this before. One day I thought I heard something moving inside the cocoon, so I took it outside to see if it would emerge. I went and checked on it later that evening and the cocoon was empty and there was this huge moth sitting next to it. I called everybody to come and see. We looked it up in the book again, and I was right, it was a polyphemus caterpillar. Now it was a polyphemus moth. It looked so different from the caterpillar. My mom took some great pictures of the moth!

Eastern Black Swallowtail

I love catching bugs! I have had good success finding caterpillars. I love to watch them make their cocoon, and then emerge as butterflies. I have already one this summer. I caught a caterpillar and wasn't sure what kind it was. I thought it was a swallowtail. I was hoping that it was because, I have never had a swallowtail in captivity. I set up a habitat for it in an old butter bowl and just watched it. Sure enough it made a cocoon a few days later. It was in the cocoon for about 12 days. It emerged one morning while it was down pouring rain. We sat on the front porch and watched it emerge. Pretty soon I had the most beautiful Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly. Eventually he flew away right in the middle of a big downpour. He seemed to do fine. He sure was beautiful!