Polyphemus (Silk) Moth Caterpillars Eating Host Plant

Polyphemus (Silk) Moth Caterpillars Eating Host Plant

 

I have been raising a lot of Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars this past month and they have grown fast!

 

Here are some pictures that I have taken of them at this stage:



Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars preparing to shed skin.

Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars feeding on host plant, Oak tree.

Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars feeding on host plant, Oak tree.



You can see below how well the Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars blend in with the leaves of their host plant. 



Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars feeding on host plant, Oak tree.



Once these caterpillars are larger, their heads are more of a dark orange color.  They have a beautiful shiny blue stripe at its end on the side.  Their bodies are a light green color.  There are tiny silver hairs all over their body.  You can see that the caterpillars get big and fat as they grow.

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One Hundred Polyphemus (Silk) Caterpillars

One Hundred Polyphemus (Silk) Caterpillars!

 

 

I have been busy this past month feeding about one hundred caterpillars.  These are Polyphemus moth caterpillars (also called Silk moths).  I have plenty of pictures of the caterpillars.  Soon I will have many more pictures of the Polyphemus (Silk) moth!

 

Here are some pictures that I managed to take while feeding all of these caterpillars their host plant:



Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillar feeding on host plant, Oak tree.

 

Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars looking for host plant, Oak tree.

 

This is when the Polyphemus (Silk) moth caterpillars first hatched.  There were only a few caterpillars that I was able to take a picture of.  They are so small when they first hatch!  You can only imagine how fast the food gets eaten from all of these.

 

Their eggs are white.  These caterpillars have red heads when they first hatch.  Their bodies are green with organge/yellow spikes or spines.

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