Once you find a caterpillar, gently drive them onto a large leaf and put them in a jar. Look out for these signs in your garden plants. Look under rocks and leaves since they take shade in cooler places when it is hot during the day.Īs they travel from one leaf to another for food, they produce a thin silky twine. They do not prefer grass in their diet, though they might be found in open pastures or roads as they cross them looking for food. They prefer leafy, broad-leafed plants such as cabbage, so you can begin by searching for them there. Start looking for them in your yard itself if you have one. You do not need to go to a store or online to get them. In any of these places, they are found aplenty during the spring and winter months. Woolly bears are native to the US, Canada, and Mexico. Make sure to clean the dead skin cells from the habitat as well. After each molt, it will grow bigger and have more bristles which help keep the caterpillar warm. It’s best to give them a pile of leaves they can hide under and keep cool.ĭuring their growth, the woolly bear caterpillar will molt up to 5 times. Glass jars should not be exposed to the sun as they trap heat. Keep the jar in a well-ventilated and cool place that is shaded from direct sun. Old fish tanks or netted enclosures can be a great alternative as well. It’s a good idea to keep multiple caterpillars in 1 jar to allow them company but get a jar of at least one gallon capacity for multiple caterpillars. Make sure the jar isn’t too small for them. Keep a secondary jar handy to transfer the fuzzy caterpillars while cleaning the jar. It’s best to keep a napkin at the bottom for easy cleaning. These also allow the caterpillar to find a place to hang its pupae later.Īs the caterpillar eats and grows, you will need to clear its droppings (called frass) daily. To create a welcoming environment, add twigs for the caterpillar to climb on and explore. You can close it with a lid that has small holes in it – smaller than your caterpillar. Woolly bears can be kept in a small glass or plastic jar that is well-aerated. But there are cases of extremely cold environments where moths such as the Arctic woolly take a whopping 14 years to turn into their adult selves! Creating a Habitat Generally, the entire life cycle will take a few months.
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