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| One of my Emperor Moth caterpillars |
After 5-6 days busily eating, my emperor moth caterpillars are now at a stage where everything has temporarily come to a stand still. They've been extremely active and were happily eating away at the bramble leaves I've been given them, producing a lot of tiny poo (called frass) in return. But now, they have huddled together on the kitchen towel appearing as if they are dead. However, they are not dead (at least I hope not). What they are doing is shedding their skins for the first time.
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| Clustering together for their first skin change |
A caterpillar will do this 4-5 or more times in their development. They are stuck tight to the surface they are on, using a bit of silk around their hind legs and just like removing a pair of trousers using only your feet, they will wiggle out of their baby skin and continue what they have left off. This process may take two days and I cannot interfere until the skin shedding is done. All I can do is wait. In the mean time, I can watch the change happening as they are not only getting bigger, but also starting to change colour from black to brown.
A caterpillar will do this 4-5 or more times in their development. They are stuck tight to the surface they are on, using a bit of silk around their hind legs and just like removing a pair of trousers using only your feet, they will wiggle out of their baby skin and continue what they have left off. This process may take two days and I cannot interfere until the skin shedding is done. All I can do is wait. In the mean time, I can watch the change happening as they are not only getting bigger, but also starting to change colour from black to brown. 
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