Polyphemus Moth Caterpillars

 

I have 170 Polyphemus caterpillars this year! I’m hoping I can find good homes for most of them. Right now they’re living in cages on our screened porch.

They’ve been eating oak leaves, although I just had a note from Ian, who has had much more experience raising them than I have, and he says that they aren’t very particular about what they eat, and that they will switch foods easily.

Later this summer they’ll make cocoons. This is one of the cocoons from last year.

And then, next May or June the adults will emerge from the cocoons. This is the first of the moths that emerged this past spring – a female.