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I have been to many websites to identify the caterpillar that was brought in today by one of my students. The child and I got on the internet and started looking it up.
It has all the exact markings of a Luna moth caterpillar.
He found it in the woods near his home and he and his father brought it to school thinking they were giving me a gift.
I have been a hiker for over twenty years and hiked on both coasts and the midwest regions. This caterpillar is not a native species found in Washington State, Olympia.
It would have to be far from home...
My question is: Is this normal to find one these species of caterpillar here?
It is creating a silk coating around it...I am concerned about disturbing it?
Does this caterpillar winter and then emerge?
Normally I would have followed the outdoor ethics of leave no trace and not taken it from the forest, but now here it is.
I also see it as an incredible learning opportunity for the preschool I run which is an alternative preschool focusing on the students interests.
I feel a little overwhelmed about the responsibility of this caterpillar and want to do the right thing.
Can anyone give advice?
Thanks for taking the time
Sarah Bear
It has all the exact markings of a Luna moth caterpillar.
He found it in the woods near his home and he and his father brought it to school thinking they were giving me a gift.
I have been a hiker for over twenty years and hiked on both coasts and the midwest regions. This caterpillar is not a native species found in Washington State, Olympia.
It would have to be far from home...
My question is: Is this normal to find one these species of caterpillar here?
It is creating a silk coating around it...I am concerned about disturbing it?
Does this caterpillar winter and then emerge?
Normally I would have followed the outdoor ethics of leave no trace and not taken it from the forest, but now here it is.
I also see it as an incredible learning opportunity for the preschool I run which is an alternative preschool focusing on the students interests.
I feel a little overwhelmed about the responsibility of this caterpillar and want to do the right thing.
Can anyone give advice?
Thanks for taking the time
Sarah Bear
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Washington
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Re: Luna Moth PNW
Sat, September 29, 2007 - 2:40 AMIf it's making silk then definitely don't disturb it at all.
Well, hopefully someone here can give you it's exact requirements.
I'd leave it on a tissue to get on with it.
If you have an unheated outhouse to keep it in that would be nice, as I think it
has to decide for itself whether to overwinter as a chrysalis.
Make sure it has a stick to climb up when it hatches.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actias_luna
...and then you know at least as much as I
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Re: Luna Moth PNW
Sat, September 29, 2007 - 10:59 AMIf it is creating a cocoon then it won't need a host plant (birch in most northern climates) to feed on, or water (best supplied in a small dish filled with cotton balls to prevent drowning). From what I know, they usually cocoon in loose leaf litter, not suspended from a twig. So covering it with a loose layer of leaves will help protect it. As for when it will emerge, that's up to it. Depending on climate, they have one to three generations per year. In the south, they are observable in adult form year round. If it doesn't emerge within six weeks, it will emerge in spring which is most likely considering the time of year. Then it is best to place it in a breathable container in an unheated room (however, freezing too hard can kill the pupa.) It should emerge in spring. They occur fairly far north, but usually only in the eastern part of the US and Canada. It may be an escapee or hitchhiker. It is not uncommon for people to rear these guys for pleasure because they are incomparably beautiful, but then they release them because they are large and no one wants to see them caged. It is the story of the pet trade throughout history.
