Howdy all,
I've read about caterpillars drowning because they slipped through the plastic or foil covered water jar used for holding cuttings.
I use the floral 'wet' foam that Walmart sells. I slice it into slabs the height of my little plastic bowls and then press the bowls down into it for a perfect fit. I cut off the excess.
I like using shallow dishes like the kind 8 oz pimento cheese spread comes in or using those plastic thigamajigs that hold the frosting in the refrigerated cinnamon roll tubes - I also use plastic soda pop bottle caps and regular jar lids for the kittens (first or second instars)...if they fall off the leaves they can easily climb back up because the soda caps are 'corrugated' and the jar lids are only a few centimeters tall.
I pour water onto the foam and once it can absorb no more I stick my cuttings or leaves for the caterpillars in it. The cats can crawl all over it because there is no water for them to fall into and drown. No need to cover it with plastic wrap either (unless you want to keep the frass off of it). I add water and when it starts to dry out. I also pull out and add fresh cuttings when needed as well.
If the cats poo on it too much I just toss out the used foam and add new floral wet foam.
I've used in the garden to root my cuttings because once the roots start growing out of it, I can just plant the whole thing in a pot or the ground - but now with raising butterflies and caterpillars - it really makes keeping the cat-houses clean and the larval host plant cuttings fresh.
~ Cat
Here's a photo of some citrus leaves stuck into floral wet foam in one of those cinnamon roll thigamagigs. This was for the giant swallowtails.
