Catching up

Sooo clearly a bit of time has passed in between posts here. School tends to require putting everything else on pause, unfortunately. Over the break I'll try to upload of bunch of pics to finish up my little narrative. Without further ado:

Fifth instar cats are nothing short of magnificent! Their colors are far more vivid the pics illustrate. It's hard to reconcile the image of these big, plump caterpillars with the tiny creatures who emerged from tiny eggs such a short time ago. After reading a recommendation on the Internet someplace, I tried feeding the three cats milkweed pods in addition to the leaves. It was a huge success - they munched away quite happily.

 Shedding the head capsule...

 ...and pulling free of the skin. In molting, the cats attach their rear prolegs to a secure surface. After the head capsule has been removed, the slowly walk out of the old skin.

Enjoying the pod