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Hyalophora cecropia
Various photos of 5th instar Cecropia larva (caterpillars) that I've been raising for the past 2 months. beautiful, massive creatures!
Spotted on Jul 9, 2012
Submitted on Jul 9, 2012
13 Comments
I have never reared pupae in the refrigerator for fear of them drying out, but I know some people do. Be sure to take precautions that they don't dry out. This is a magnificent larva ! Wonderful images.
So so beautiful and on my wish list.
amazing!
So fascinating!
What a decorated moth! Astonishing!
I've released most of them in various locations- have been checking in and they are all doing great. I'm only keeping 1-2 as cocoons- probably in the fridge cooler under a controlled temp. I'm going to do research though and make sure I'm giving them their best chance- but it seems that most folks that have shared online have done it that way.
Awesome; where will you keep the cocoons until next spring?
Great find, cant wait for more pics
Thanks, folks! these caterpillars are truly unique- they go through 5 different changes, called "instars" in which their appearance varies greatly. They will spin their cocoons in a couple weeks and remain in them until next spring- but I'm basing this on accounts of others online, so we shall see! I'll upload more of my photo-documentation soon.
Epic! That is huge. Great spotting. That's so cool you've been raising them and watching them grow. When will they pupate and for how long? I just spotted my first 2 Cecropia moths just a few weeks ago.
that is epic.
Wonderful :)
Amazing Joanna! Could you add this to my mission, Moths of the Americas? This would be amazing to have in the mission! http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8841...