I'm fascinated with the transformation of these intriguing caterpillars. Last Sunday I attend a 'Flutter Fest' locally and came home with my reward of two Spicebush cats. One of the two has pupated 2 days later, and the smaller one is growing leaps and bounds. I thought I'd share the experience with others. So enjoy.
My week-old Spicebush caterpillar;
The mentioned "large" cat. last week;
Last Monday, the 5th instar spicebush cat. turned bright yellow from being green the previous day, as it was getting ready to pupate.
Close up of the Spicebush cat. before it morph. into a cocoon stage.
On the 14th the above yellow/orange caterpillar pupated. It wandering around but refused to form a cocoon. I read up on its habit, so I went and got a branch of its hostplant the sassafras plant. It happily complied.
For more than 48 hours Autumn Star my little Spicebush cat. just sat on the sassafras leave immobile. This morning I found out why, it was transforming into the next stage of development. It changed from its baby brownish form into a juvenile stage of being green. Look;
After the transformation, the caterpillar still is not very active. At one time I noticed it moved about with the encouragement of the Gulf Fritillary cat. near its proximity. Still it hasn't been seen eating? In the wild, It's said that they stay hidden during the day, and come out to eat at nights. The last few days, this one doesn't seem to be afraid of being seen during the day light AEB its transparency.
Here is 'Autumn Star' being seen with the Gulf Frit. cat. for sizes comparision.
Spicebush caterpillars seem to eat and keep their consumption of the available sassasfras plant within 'budget'. lol. For the last 24 hours. The cat. only ate that very small leave it was perching on. On my brief morning walk, I cut some fresh sassasfras branch for the jewel. Let's find out how long the cat. will discover a fresh meal which was placed near by awaiting. So stay tuned, I'll return with more info. ^_^
It's amazes me that it took no time for these caterpillars, and others find their very own hostplants. At one time, I've Parsley, Sassasfras, and Passionflora in one small container for the three types of cats, Parsley for BSTs, Sassasfras for Spicebush, and Passi for the Gulf Frits. cats. They each will quickly detect the new, fresh cutting that was introduced into the container. It's said that these tiny little ones are equipped with chemo-sensors in their feet to find their hostplants. How cool is that?
Back with the topic at hand, my Spicebush cat. It took two hours, the caterpillar was happily on top of the fresh cut Sassasfras. The last few days, it was barren, out in the open since it has transformed from the brownish stage, into the greenish form. I thought rolling inside the leaves to hide during the daylight was a thing of the past. Not so much, after 'Autumn Star' ate her/his share of the new leave, which was about 1/3 of a large leave. It exudes the sticky stuffs that forms the silk and encases itself to 'hide' from the external world. This pix was taken before it 'rolled' itself up inside the leave.
It's said that the Spicebush caterpillar will hide during the day, and only comes out at night to feed. They weren't kidding. Since I last saw the cat. rolled up in the leave. I didn't see it again until a minute or two again. The cat. came out of hiding and wandering searching for food. Hah. Its size has increased some. It's getting bigger.
The Spicebush caterpillar pretty much stays hidden the majority of my time awake. I came home to a dark room this evening, and found the cat. out eating. I promptly took a couple photos then. Minutes later, it was back in its 'home'. What an elusive little one! The cat's hiding place is the very same leave that it rolled up but once. It will leave the 'house' came out to eat, then returns when it finishes its chores out. You can see that special housing in this pic.
Last pix for the evening. The photo shows the rolled up leave that the cat. hides inside during the day light.
It has been a great experience to be able to watch these caterpillars from the stage of being a tiny caterpillar into various stages of development, then now. The last phase just before the cat. pupates and spins its silk and transforms into a chrysalis.
I didn't get to see the cat. purges and clears out the fluid that signals that it is about to pupate, but the stain on the cage wall is a good tell-tail -- ugh...I meant tell- tale. lol Here is the caterpillar that I named 'Autumn Star' today.
I wished if I could have taken the picture from this angle without the mesh of the cage causing the blurs. It's almost comical with its mimicry, clever fella! Look;
It will be 2 weeks--tomorrow since I adopted these two Spicebush cats. The first was in its 5th instar which promptly pupated 2 days after it arrived. The second one must be well on its way on it 2nd instar. Now, it's making its big move from being a larval stage into pupae. 'Autumn Star' took a fall from the 2 feet butterfly cage ceiling yesterday while it first wandering about to find a suitable place to spin its silk. Apparently there was no injury, thanks goodness. It finally settled here for its resting phase.
It's a sad day in my own 'butterflies-villes' My Autumn Star didn't make it to the final stage of being a beautiful butterfly. The cause of the demise is unknown by me. It successfully suspended itself on the branch. But soon has withered and dried up. The first caterpillar is still in its cocoon phase. If it succeeds, I shall have a 50% rate of accomplishment. Ahem~
I wonder if these guys overwinter like the BST? I will have to do some research
http://www.butterflygardeningandconservation.com/butterfly/st/spicebush.php
Yep, looks like they overwinter also. I planted a couple of spicebush plants last year, but they are still pretty small--looking forward to them getting bigger, and attracting some BF's!
Thank you Bruce for sharing that website with me and others. My surviving spicebush chrysalis is brown and it's 'wintering' over in a safe place along with two of my BSTs chrysalid. If and when the butterflies emerge. I'll post the news. Hope you'll have success with the hostplants. Luckily there are sassafras trees in my neighborhood to help host these beautiful butterflies. Sassafras leaves are very aromatic. I may try to steep some tea out of the leaves sometimes.
I didn't even think about sassafras as a host--they are also native to Ohio, so now it looks like I need to plant another tree! Good thing we have lots of room--I am also planting two PawPaw trees this fall for the zebra ST's. Also looking forward to some pawpaws to eat, but mainly planting as a host.
Bruce, it sounds wonderful that you've room for large trees. Papawpaw trees for zebra ST's and fruits, yum. Speaking of native, I recently acquired a small hawthorn, it's but a twig. Is Hawthorn a host to any caterpillar? Also, speaking of native, Buckeyes I wanted some Buckeyes badly, one that's native to Ohio is that the white blooming kind?
I don't know that much about buckeye hosts--I think Buddlea & mexican petunia are two. I will have to do some research.
hawthorne is the host for gray hairstreak, and the most common for buckeyes are the plantains--which explains why I have so many here, as there are many plantains in my yard.
plantains as in musa Bruce?
I'm thinking Plantago lanceolata, as in the broad leafed variety that grows wild in most yards or anywhere that has been cultivated.
Ah, I've quite a few of those broad leaf variety. It's good to know they 'host' Buckeyes butterflies. More reason to love those stray volunteers in the garden. Thanks Bruce.
ur welcome--I think the weather has finally turned to the point where we will have no more BF's, so I will be counting on you southerners to get my bf fix this winter!! hopefully you will have lots to photo
It's getting cooler down South as well. There is not much bfs activities, but saw a few scattered Sulphurs here and there, occasional late migrating Monarch fly- by. Here is a flower to remind us, to look forward to next year growing seasons after the Fall and Winter's rest.
After a very mild winter, here once again Spring is upon us. My overwinter BSTs chrysalid have success-- I had a total of 3 that eclosed and freed to the wild, but my lone survivor Spicebush caterpillar/chrysalis. is still not awaken.
If the pix is enlarged, one will see the Spicebush chrysalis in that sassafras leave;
That SBST chrysallis looks good and healthy--amazing how well camoflauged they are. Took me a while to sort it out.
Thank you, Lilylove, I enjoyed your little BF autobiography! I have planted spice bush and passiflora last year but still very small and a sassafras this year. I have plenty of saltmarsh cats. just now, chewing on the elderberry I have for them. I have plenty of plaintain too and only occasionally do I see a buckeye BF. Ive seen two this year so far. We always have plenty of Monarchs here and so I plant asclepias for them. This year Ive planted parsley and fennel. I would love to have zebra swallowtails but I dont have any hawthorne. I may be able to get some this fall. Thanks so much for sharing those cute little SBST's with us.
Zebra Swallowtails eat pawpaw; where did you hear they eat hawthorne? I've raised many on pawpaw but I have to go to a local preserve to collect them. Most of the pawpaw in my area got paved over for houses. They're probably my favorite species; they were also the first caterpillars I raised.
Melanie
Sorry, I mispoke. The post above that I referred to, said grey hairstreak, not Zebra Swallowtails. I confused the two posts.
I have parsley hawthornes but they're still really small and don't have too many leaves on them. I read the Red Spotted Purple will use Hawthorne but they always go for the cherry tree at my house.
Melanie
steadycam3, welcome to our forum. And thank you for your feedback on the posting. I have been looking for my native passi. to break dormancy. They finally did a few days ago. They're now roughly 4-5" tall. Here comes Spring!
Just an update. I'm still holding on to my hope for my only Spicebush chrysalis.
The butterfly pavilon is hung outdoor in dappled shade, and I peek on the area twice a day anticipating some fluttering inside.
Sometimes those suckers take a long time to come out. I once had a Zebra ST for over a year! Don't know what he was doing in there, just taking his sweet time, I guess.
Melanie
Today is the day where my Spicebush butterfly ecloses! I'm so happy that it has made it through winter!!! The day is kind of over cast. I'll wait until the sun is out, or at least when the beauty's wings are dried before I'll release it to the wild.
