Polyphemus Raising, Round One:
The Caterpillar That Didn't Make It.

The start:

The first Polyphemus caterpillars came from Josephine Keeney at the April 20, 2009 CTMN meeting. She gave away dozens of caterpillars which had hatched from a female she raised. It had deformed wings, but mated and then laid eggs all over her computer and house. So many caterpillars were born that she needed to disperse them for many other people to feed and raise. Many Master Naturalists took home a few, and some took many caterpillars to raise. At the end of the meeting there was only one left for me to take home.

Thank you Josephine.

April 26, 2009 Poly is adapting to its new home and eating well. I put it outside occassionally for fresh air while I clean out its box:

May 4, 2009 Poly seems to be growing rapidly and enjoys a bit of sun. But maybe outdoors was not a good idea. Disaster awaits.

May 8, 2009 Sudden decline. It appeared the caterpillar was about ready to make its cocoon -- a crucial time in its life. Within hours the caterpillar took ill and developed spots. In just a few hours it fell off the leaves and died. Possibly a fungal or bacterial infection. Hygene is an important aspect of raising captive insects.

End of part 1. But not the end of raising Polyphemus this summer. Click here for the next set.

Note: all containers were disinfected with bleach to make sure no disease was transmitted to the next set.