Caterpillar Ecosystem

26 July 2018

Today we saw a moth in our ecosystem bowl.

We had placed 7 caterpillars in there.

All caterpillars were put in with the particular leaves that they were found on. This is because they may only eat and live on those leaves and not others.

Some caterpillars had been turned into hosts by wasps and flies who had laid eggs on them. So instead of forming pupa, the larva inside them formed tiny egg like white pupas and we saw many tiny flying insects in our ecosystem bowl.

The caterpillars changed their skins. Meaning, when they had to become bigger, they let go of their old skin and bigger caterpillars with new skin emerged from them.

Caterpillar ecosystem is hard to do.

Out of 7 caterpillars, we were able to see 1 moth came out and we still have 2 cocoons which may make new butterflies or moths.