Care and Feeding of Caterpillars

Cowgrit called me on my cell phone to let Calfgrit7 tell me about his exciting find. While at the park, playing with a friend, they found a bunch of caterpillars. He collected several and brought them home. When Cowgrit got back on the phone, I mentioned that I think caterpillars are dangerous for yards, trees, and flowers. I remember a bunch of trees being eaten to ruin by swarms of caterpillars at my grandparents’ farm, way back when I was Calfgrit7’s age. I said it was probably fine that Calfgrit7 had some to play with, just so long as they stay in control — locked in the bug box. (Both our boys have a small container for keeping insects for study.)

When I got home I learned that Calfgrit7 had collected about a dozen caterpillars. Whoa, that’s a lot! He wanted to research the critters on the Internet, so we got on my computer and Googled them. Every site we came to identified caterpillars as pests, and much of the information was directions on how to kill them and stop infestations. And here we already had 12.

So I explained to Calfgrit7 that we needed to take the caterpillars back to the park, their normal home, so they can eat the plants they’re used to and need, and so they won’t eat any of our plants and trees. He said he could keep them under control, and suggested we get the plants they like and bring them home. But he kept bringing one or two into the house to show us (the bug boxes stay outside, always), and one time he found one that secretly hitched a ride on his shirt. I mentioned to Cowgrit that even worse than having all of them loose in the yard would be for one or two to get loose in the house.

So we gently convinced Calfgrit7 to take them back to the park. He released them and said goodbye, “have a good life,” to all of them. But then his friend, who had been at the park with him when they found the caterpillars, mentioned that he was keeping his (only two) until they turned into moths. He even brought a limb with leaves, from the park trees, to school to give Calfgrit7 for his caterpillars.

Calfgrit7 asked if he could go back and get one or two caterpillars to watch them make cocoons and transform into moths. Cowgrit and I discussed it and allowed him to bring two home — one for him, one for Calfgrit3. Not surprisingly, we ended up with three bugs — two for CG7, one for CG3. Well, at least that’s better than a dozen. And he promised to abide by the rules of no caterpillars in the house, and none loose out of the bug box.

Both boys are very excited about their new “pets,” and they check on them outside a couple times a day. They keep leaves and bottle caps filled with water in the boxes for the critters. So far, all is well. I really hope all goes well with this experience. I’ll feel really dumb if one or all get loose and we end up with an infestation next year. But, if no ruinous plague comes of this, then the boys witnessing the natural transformation of a caterpillar into a moth will be a pretty cool thing.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com