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is a Cecropia-moth-to-be next spring! Possibly by now it has shed its last skin inside the double cocoon and is a moist brown pupa in the process of shortening itself up by about half in the darkness of the inner cocoon. Don't ever disturb a caterpillar once it has started to spin its home, as it only has so much silk to use. It also has laid down a "button" to which it anchors itself in order to brace during the construction of their winter's protection. You may feel it moving inside the cocoon for several more days, but after awhile it should become quieter. It will react to being held in a warm hand by wiggling around, especially if it has been out in the cold of winter for some time. When you see caterpillars crawling this time of year they are looking for a final hibernating place, and they are no longer interested in food. It will be best to keep the container outside with a cloth top (an old piece of sheet or tablecloth) tied around the top or use elastics if the container is small enough around to do this. Elastics tend to deteriorate in the cold and break but keep the cloth bound more closely to the container than string. Sprinkle water on the cocoon and cloth once a week (create a rainstorm!), as the humidity needs to be kept fairly high or the pupa will dessicate and die inside the cocoon. Keep it outside in the cold in a shed or entry way, preferably not a garage -too many fumes. The pupa is programmed to experience a certain amount of cold, and if it does not experience it, it will not emerge from its house, still "thinking" that winter must still come, and dessicate and die, or rarely emerge from the cocoon in the middle of winter in the house which I am sure you do not want. When spring comes it will need a stick or tree branch and room enough to hang upside down from it, so it can let its wings grow and drop down, unfold, dry and harden, so it can fly properly in about 45 minutes or so. When it first comes out of the cocoon it will be a very small wizened, cripppled looking creature, but it will quickly climb with strong legs and feet the stick and find a comfortable hanging position. Then it pumps fluid from its body, lots of it, into the tiny folded wings which expand with amazing speed and size and finally start to dry and harden into useful wings, so the wings need room (air space), so they don't bump up against the sides or bottom of the container. At the end of this process it is apt to release some excess fluid from its abdomen which it doesn't want to carry around, of course. This whole process is one of the most fascinating procedures to watch in nature but is often accomplished at night when things are quiet, so be sure to have the stick or branch in place as spring comes. Otherwise if the newly hatched pupa has no way to hang upside down, it will after 45 minutes become a cripple. I hope this does not sound too daunting. It isn't really. Good luck and keep us posted as to the outcome. The caterpillar looked to be in fine shape, ie., no wasp eggs laid on it. All the projections on it were supposed to be there. The Cecropia is one of the handsomest of the large moths as it has many colours on its wings, and clear window spots. I think you sent to naturens some photos you took earlier in the spring (June perhaps?) of one or more which came to your windows. The luna moth caterpillar is about the same size, but it does not have the colourful protuberances on it, but has a long white horizontal line down most of the length of its body, 7 white verticle lines along 7 of the middle segments, and numerous rows of small red spots and small white hairs protruding from its skin. They are all quite unique and colourful. Let me know if you need more advice about your latest "pet"! JET
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