The kids have a special interest in caterpillars these days due to recent Black Swallowtail family which we adopted for observation (More about that in a later post!). So today, when Nicholas almost stepped on a little caterpillar in the driveway, he came back to observe and asked if we could keep it. I said no, but I would go get the insect field guide, commonly known as the "Bug Book" and see what kind of caterpillar he was.
Well, it turns out to be an Eastern Tent Caterpillar, a known nuisance to the foliage in our area. Here's a Link to an article with photos of the entire lifecycle.
Unfortunately, I learned after all of this information after I had placed him/her in a jar with some leaves and covered the jar with a paper towel. Because apparently, he/she has the strength to push up the paper towel and crawl out of the jar. So now, he's nowhere to be found - IN THE HOUSE!!
We have looked all over for him, but have had no luck. He's probably found a nice place to curl up and make a coccoon, and some day soon we'll find a pesky little moth flying around here. I'll keep you posted.
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