Our little baby is 1 day old!! I think we need a name for it. As a caterpillar we won't be able to tell the sex. So maybe something unisex? Hmmmmmm, What do y'all think? Lets figure out a name for this little one. Leave your name choice in the comments.
So far in this little one isn't eating very much. Don't worry, this is very normal. But look at its chew marks. This is everything it has eaten in 24 hours!! I noticed the leaves starting to wilt a bit, so I went to the garden to get fresh food. I have fresh sprigs of Passionvine popping up all over the yard, so it is very easy to get new growth. I like to find new growth for 1st & 2nd instar caterpillars. Think of it as "baby food". The fresh tips are very soft and flexible, and I'm sure tender on the pallet too. It isn't necessary, but at this stage in its growth, I like to provide fresh leaves.
I take a small cutting and put it into a floral tube. I then swap out the plant that is in the rearing cage for the fresh one. I then carefully pluck the leaf its on, and just put it on to the fresh cutting. When caterpillars are this young, I try my best to not handle them. And I ALWAYS wash my hands before handling their food source, or later when bigger, the actual caterpillar. I don't want to mistakenly transfer any harmful chemicals to the food or caterpillar. There are many things we don't always think of that can harm, or even kill the caterpillar. A few examples would be, Mosquito spray, sun block, essential oils, perfume, and even flea/tick medications from pets that we may have just shown some love to. So its always better to just wash up before tending to rearing cages.
For the next 10-14 days this little one will be a pooping machine! LOL It is really tiny now, but still very important to clean up daily. Cleanliness is VERY important! I'll share with you a new term for butterflies, the proper term for caterpillar poo is Frass. Yup, Frass. Pretty neat word right!? Here is a pitcher of how small the frass is now. At this stage, it literally looks like pepper. Very tiny little specs right now. You can see one on each side of my finger. It won't stay this small for long, and there will be TONS more of it within a few days. So it's VERY important to change the paper towel and clean the frass out daily.
This little guy is so translucent yet that you can see its heartbeat! That's pretty cool! But this will also change after its first molt. It will get darker Orange with very black spikes.I'm thinking this caterpillar may shed in the next 2 days. So possibly Wednesday, but we shall see. I'm excited y'all are on this journey with me, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. So until next time, Peace, Love, and Butterflies. ✌🏼💝🦋🦋
P.S. Don't Forget to help me pick a name!!
