Ziltoid Update #1
Ziltoid molted last night. I found a great little reference on the web about How to Identify Monarch Caterpillar Instars that leads me to believe that Ziltie is now a fourth instar, which means he’ll do one more molt into a bigger caterpillar before he becomes a chrysalis. I wanted to take a picture of the skin that Ziltoid left behind when he shed, but I wasn’t able to find it when I looked this morning. Turns out that monarch caterpillars eat their skin after molting. I’ll know to be faster next time.
Ziltoid’s milkweed leaves were looking pretty sad last night, so when The Prof and I ran out to pick up some Chinese for dinner we pulled over by a stand of weeds along the road and I harvested some fresh milkweed for the little guy. This morning he’s munching away happily on the new foliage, although he’s surprising me by eating a hole out of the middle of the leaf rather than eating from the edge like Waldo did last year. According to another website, Ziltoid could eat as much as one leaf an hour; I’m hoping not because I only got four (very large) leaves for the little guy.
Insect Science Class
As long as it’s butterflies and not spiders, I’m in the front row!
Wow, I had no idea they were such voracious eaters! A leaf an hour– who’da thunk it?
pretty little dude
Hi Sal!
It’s good to hear from you and thank you for stopping by!
I’ve not see this bugger for long time!!
AO