More Monarch Day Care

Sunday we gave the Blue Lid caterpillar a new leaf.  His old leaf was practically gone.

Monday, 18 August 2008,  we transferred the chrysalis to an aquarium.  We used a 10% bleach solution and cleaned it well first.   We need to find him something to climb up on so he can dry properly when he  emerges. We also spritzed him with water so he won’t dry out.

Can you see through this?Monday evening, we noticed that we could see through his chrysalis a little bit.  It means he is almost a butterfly.  Just before he emerges you can see him inside!

Blue lid container; Put caterpillar into cage, we did not measure because he had molted earlier and wasn’t looking too good.  Added two new caterpillars from milkweed collected from across the street.  They were hiding up top so we did not see them at first!  Our new babies are tiny!

Peanut butter container;  We have two caterpillars in here still.  Both are about 11 cm.   Added new leaves because they finished the old ones.

“The Hatchery”; Two babies; both are 1 cm (10 mm) long.

“The Cage”; Cleaned out with 10% bleach solution and lots of water!  Put in large Molted face; Audrey discoveredcaterpillar from Blue lidded container and the large one from the Nursery so they have a large area to continue growing.  Both happily munching now.

Nursery; Cleaned and added new leaf.  Caterpillars 11 and 12 mm long.

It is so fun, but a lot of work to do this, especially keeping the cages clean.  Looking in field for milkweedI would not do it by myself!  I need to invent self cleaning cages!

Tuesday, 19 August 2008.

Got milkweed plant for the cage and leaves for the container.

Blue lid container; caterpillars both very little action.  Did not measure.

Peanut butter container;  15 mm caterpillar is “Mess” and 16 mm caterpillar is “Sea”

Meet Faster the caterpillarThe Hatchery”; Named 12 mm caterpillar “Milk” and 10 mm caterpiller “Weed”

“The Cage”; Changed milkweed because it was practically gone.  Named 34 mm caterpillar “Faster” and bigger one “Eating”

Nursery; Named 12 mm caterpillar “Castor” and 15 mm one “Polex”.

I have to draw a place for them.  Then we are going to build one.  I will put in a place for them to hang.  I need one place for each of “ages” or sizes.

I have learned that caterpillars eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and…

2 thoughts on “More Monarch Day Care”

  1. I like the names you gave your pets. But I think Mess and Sea fits the bill the best (MessSea)

  2. In your one picture it looks like he has two heads. How do you tell which end is which?

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