Shotguneddie gave me the courage and many pointers to raise caterpillars.  Ken Strothkamp's work on Lophocampa maculata inspired me to try maculata cats.  The following are the events of that adventure . . . as perceived by a novice.

Thanks, Edna and Ken.

(Each cat was photographed every day at least once.  I have over 500 macro images of these cats (4288x2848 pixels).  Individual enlargements/closeups can be added, if needed.  The cats are quite beautiful at 100% - when the light wraps them just right, their red, orange and yellow setae seem to glow.)

07-06-11:  This female was captured on 07-06-2011 at 11:38:25 PM.




07-09-11:  Mom produced 154 eggs in 6 clusters.  Each egg is about 1mm in diameter.  The first cluster was produced the morning of 07-07.  It had about 20 eggs.  I decided to keep Mom in the bag another two days, and a lot more eggs followed.  I kept the smallest cluster of 9 eggs, which I believe were deposited on the morning of the 9th, just before I released Mom.  All eggs look normal.

07-12-11:  The eggs have not changed much.  Not sure, but there might be a slight darkening.

07-14-11:  The eggs are very noticeable dark, a charcoal color with blackish internal mottling; presumably, the cats forming.

07-15-11: The little black mottlings are now blackish spheres within the eggs.




07-15-11 - PM Update:  Just after 7:00 PM, the cats started hatching.  Within 24 hours 8 cats had hatched.  One never made it.  They have fairly long black hairs and look kind of grizzly.  Their bodies are greyish in color.  Newborns are 2mm in length.  I supplied them with big-leaf maple, birch and several other leaves; they weren't interested.  All they did was wander around the container, like they were searching for something - I thought food.




07-17-11:  Two cats disappeared; no idea where they went or how they escaped a closed container.

07-19-11:  For two days, I've tried offering the cats various leaves from around the yard.  Nothing interested them; they'd explore the leaves, but wouldn't eat.  On the third day, I gathered a few plum leaves.  The cats loved them.  No idea what kind of plum tree it is.  They were growing wild behind a friend's garage in Portland, OR.  I took several transplants in the early 1990s.

All 6 cats seem to be growing, and except for size, all look the same - one appears to be a runt.  The cats are losing their grey and taking on a buttery-yellow look.  They appear too small to actually eat leaves.  Instead, they chew the pulpy leaf surface, skeletonizing it.




07-20-11:  Perhaps a point of interest: rearing temperature is between 65 and 68F.

I've decided to see if the kind of plum tree makes a difference.  I have three kinds, that I know of, in the yard: Santa Rosa from a nursery, an Italian plum also from a nursery and the plum from Portland they're now feeding on.  I should be able to find out quickly if any plum will do.  From what I've seen so far, when they like their food, they stay on it; if they don't like what I give them, they wander all around looking for something to eat.

The wayfarers have returned.  Don't know where they were hiding, but a new headcount showed 8 cats, up from 6, and back to what I started with.

7-21-11:  The cats are turning more and more a pale yellow.  Gathered various plum leaves for my experiment.

7-22-11:  I had added one cleaned leaf each of Santa Rosa plum, Italian plum and wild(?) plum.  (I clean each leaf so I don't inadvertently introduce a predator - a blunder that has ruined several rearing projects.)  This morning I found one cat on Santa Rosa plum, 2 cats on Italian plum, 5 on wild plum from Portland.  By the end of the day, there were no cats on Santa Rosa, 2 on Italian, 6 on wild plum.  Since then, no cats went back to Santa Rosa; periodically one or two cats were on Italian plum; most of the time, everyone was on wild plum.  It appears that in spite of the cats being willing to taste all plums, they seem to prefer wild plum.  I dumped all Santa Rosa and Italian plum leaves, and the cats are now all feeding on wild plum.

Several cats sprouted white hairs, fore and aft.  If my segment count is correct, those same caterpillars also had darkened and enlarged spots on segment 3 (starting from behind the head) and segments 9, 10 and11.  Little black hairs are emerging from the darkened spots.  The spots on the sides are also more pronounced.




7-23-11:  All but one cat has undergone yesterday's change, adding white hairs.

And one seems to be a little ahead of the others, with black tufts emerging from some fore and aft black spots..

7-24-11:  No noticeable changes.

7-25-11:  A little growth seems noticeable, more in thickness than in length.

7-26-11:  The bodies on most cats seem to be getting a little more yellowish, and they appear to be a bit plumper.

7-27-11:  Surprise!  A major change!  As usual, one cat seems to be ahead of the others.  It's developed reddish dorsal spots.

Several cats now have black, fuzzy hair collars.  All are getting fat and buttery.

Summary:    Being this is the first time I've tried raising moths from eggs, I'd say a lot has happened to my little boarders this past week.  The cats now range from about 5 to 6mm long and over 1mm wide - perhaps tripling in size since hatching.  As to which instar they might be in, I have no idea.  I always thought there would be a shedding of some sort to indicate an instar change, but so far I've seen no discarded remnants of any sort, only frass.  All the changes I've seen appear to be done within the same skin.




7-28-11:  5 cats now have orange dorsal spots/mottling.  One cat has blackening fore and aft.  One has the beginnings of darkening behind the head and toward the tip of the abdomen.  One is lagging behind with only darkened spots on segment 3 and posterior segments.

7-29-11:  6 cats now have noticeable orange dorsal mottling; there also appear to be orange/yellow hairs starting to grow around the middle of their abdomens.  1 cat shows the beginning traces of orange mottling; the other I'm not sure.

Measured one cat at 8mm, smallest cat is about 7mm.

I usually change their food and clean their container every two days, and usually the cats stay on their food.  On occasion, however, I've noticed one or two wandering around.  If I put in a fresh plum leaf, within a very short time the wandering cats will have found the leaf, and they stop wandering.  Happens every time.  It would seem wandering cats could now be a sign their food needs replenishing, or at least refreshing.  Regardless, it still means, "I'm looking for something to eat."  To ensure they have proper fresh nutrition, I'll add a new leaf or two each day, and discard the old leaf once they've migrated.

07-30-11:  No noticeable change in coloration.  Only one cat (the smallest) lags behind in acquiring noticeable orange mottling.  Biggest cat is now 10mm.  Smallest cat is 8mm.  (They stretch like a little Slinky, so accurate measurements are somewhat inaccurate.)

The cats' method of eating has changed.  Instead of skeletonizing leaves, they're now actually eating them, with an even more prodigious output of frass.

07-31-11:  All cats look pretty much the same as yesterday.  Everyone seems to be happily munching along.

08-01-11:  All cats still look pretty much the same as yesterday.  Their rate of eating seems a little slowed, as is their frass output.  Nevertheless, they seem to be doing fine.

Followup 8:58 PM: Another surprise!  The cats seem to have scattered into various parts of the container.  I noticed one has just molted.  Maybe the molt is what slowed their eating? and scattered them?




08-01-11:  First cat that left molting remnants.  The old discarded head casing can be seen to the left of the head.  The old body skin is below.  Apparently, they crawl head first out of their old skins.




08-02-11:  The cats are still scattered.  The molted cat has moved a bit, but is just sitting on the edge of its leaf; can't tell if it's nibbling.  The three least developed cats are sitting under leaves.  The remaining four (the more developed) are on the sides of the container, doing nothing (noticeable).  The molted cat seems quite a bit more fuzzy.  The four on the wall are in various stages of orange/yellow brightness.  The three under the leaves are noticeably less orange, with one cat still showing no or very little orange.  Everyone still looks healthy.

08-03-11:  6 of the cats appear to have molted.  One cat seems to be borderline ready to (consider) molting.  And of course, there's the runt of the litter - or maybe it's just taking a different path.   As of this moment (11:55 AM), three of the molted cats are on leaves and appear to be nibbling, or at least tasting.  Size-wise, they all appear about the same as yesterday.  I'm sure when they start eating again, that will change.

08-04-11:  7 cats have returned to their food.  They don't seem to be eating much, but they are eating some.  One cat is wandering.

08-05-11:  Again 7 cats on their food; one cat wandering.  Don't know if it's the same wandering cat as yesterday - based on coloring, possibly.  Eating and frassing are up again, and they look a bit bigger.  Largest cat I could measure was 12mm, smallest was almost 10mm - cats at rest when measured; moving cats seem to add an extra 1 to 1.5mm when stretching forward.

08-06-11:  All 8 cats are on their food and appear to be eating/frassing well - overnight they almost completely devoured one of the large plum leaves, and partially devoured two others.  The largest cat today was just a hair over 13mm, the smallest 10mm.  I can't say any really look like runts anymore; they just appear to be healthy and in various stages of growth, like a three or four day span - interesting, considering they were all born within a few hours of each other.  Regardless, they're all headed in the same direction.




08-07-11:  Not much change from yesterday, still eating, still frassing.  I have noticed, however, that their activity seems to run in spurts.  They seem to do most of their eating at night - I check each night before bed, and it's usually not much different than how I left it in the morning, but when I check the following morning, they seem to have eaten a fair to hefty amount.  I also noticed they seem to eat hearty for a day or two then slow down for a bit before eating hearty, again.  Size-wise, their length doesn't seem changed (still 10 to 13mm), but they do seem a bit fatter . . . or maybe it's just fluffier - lot of parts to grow on a cat; maybe the parts take turns?

08-08-11:  Again the cats have scattered, and again one has molted.  The molted cat is definitely more fluffy.  I expect the others will also molt in the next day or so.  It's probably too early to say this, but it almost seems like there are two body patterns emerging.  Four cats have a more evenly distributed red/orange around the mid-section, and four cats have the yellow mid-section with obvious red/orange spots.  I used to think the four yellow ones were just lagging behind developmentally, but now, I'm thinking that assumption is wrong.  Perhaps, it might have something to do with sex? or being born a redhead instead of a brunette?  Of course, final molt they might all look the same.  Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I didn't want to disturb them, just in case they're all ready for molting, so I didn't measure anyone today.

08-09-11:  Cats still scattered.  Those that haven't molted seem to be in the process (to me, that's sitting there, doing nothing) - interesting that some shed their skins while others only seem to shed hairs.

My comments yesterday about color differences are now moot, and I'm back to thinking some cats are just slower taking on changes than others - of course this could still have something to do with sex (like human females mature faster physically than human males, the same way, in reverse, males hit their prime before females).  Regardless, there are now 5 cats with red/orange abdomens, and three cats with red/orange spots on yellow mid-sections.  Maybe tomorrow they'll all look the same?

I measured several cats that appeared molted.  They're all still between 10 and 13mm.  And, like last molt, they look a bit chubbier/fluffier, so I suspect once they start eating again, they'll put on a little more length, too.

08-10-11:  Three cats still scattered, hugging the walls; I assume awaiting their molt.  The rest are back on their food.  Other than a bit of nibbling, they're not doing much - like the last time right after they molted.  I suspect they'll start eating again in the next day or so.  I'm hoping they start putting on some decent poundage soon, because right now, there's no where near enough stuff inside them to make a maculata moth.

08-11-11:  All cats have completed their molts.  I was wondering if the remaining three, mostly yellow ones would change coloring to the red/orange mid-sections.  Turns out they are, to varying degrees, still mostly yellow, one with hardly any additional red/orange.

Except for two late molting cats, they're all back on their food, and from the frass output and look of the leaves, eating heartily.  The two largest cats measure 15mm.  The smallest, the cat that's still mostly yellow, measures 10mm.




08-13-11:  (There was no status created 08-12-11.)  Half the cats are active, exploring and munching.  The other half are doing their usual thing, sitting there, looking pretty.  I would think they had their turn exploring and munching, too, because half their food is gone, and their container is carpeted with frass.  Today's measurements appear about the same as last status - 10 to 15mm.  When exploring, the bigger cats stretch to about 17mm.

When the cats were younger, they had about 13 segments.  I'd wondered where the extra segments went.  Watching them feed today, I noticed 3 of the missing segments - most noticeable on the yellow cat.  Not only does it appear the front 3 segments behind the head are tucked in when the cat is not feeding, those segments also have claws, rather than cute little gripper feet, like the aft segments.  It appears they use the claws to hold fast to the leaf while their jaws bite and head rocks side to side, cutting through the leaf.  Interesting little creatures.

08-14-11:  Not too much eating today, but a fair amount of exploring.  Growth-wise, one still seems to be outpacing the others, but it seems to be more in getting a bit fatter/fluffier than longer.  The biggest cat measured just about 16mm.

08-15-11:  Not much activity today.  7 cats are either wandering around their food or just sitting on it.  One is hugging the side of the container - a lazy day in Margaritaville.  They all seem to be growing, but at the millimeter level it's sometimes hard to tell.  I measured two at over 16mm.  The one that's mostly yellow seems to be growing hardly at all.  They've all got a long way to go before they're big enough to pupate.  On a whim, tomorrow I'm going to gather leaves from several other types of trees and see if their tastes change as they get older, maybe fatten them up quicker.

08-16-11:  When I opened their container today, not much was going on.  The one cat hugging the side of the container was still hugging the side of the container.  One cat was slowly exploring the bottom of the container.  One cat was seriously wandering around.  The rest were just hanging out on their respective leaves.  They've been eating, but not ravenously; frassing accordingly.  Measuring didn't show any growth, but the way they stretch and contract it's hard to say if they've actually grown.

As I mentioned yesterday, I gathered new leaves of various kinds, washing and cleaning to eliminate any unwanted predators, etc.  First, I decided to give them more than just a few plum leaves.  I gave them a small plum branch, for variety in their climbs and exploration.  I blotted the branch and leaves dry, to ensure there weren't any droplets large enough to drown a cat.  One cat quickly migrated to the branch (there are now several there).  Next, I blotted dry an apple leaf which I placed in the path of the cat that was earnestly wandering.  The cat's wandering abruptly ended, and the cat began exploring the apple leaf, even nibbling from it.  The cat stayed on the leaf about 5 minutes, until I introduced a blotted cherry leaf.  The cat explored the cherry leaf, but didn't nibble it.  I then cut a section of maple leaf - broad-leaf variety, I believe.  This time, I didn't blot the leaf, instead just shaking the excess water off (again making sure there were no drops large enough to drown a little cat head).  I placed the wet leaf beside the cat on the cherry leaf.  Within moments, the cat raised its head, as though it were sniffing for something.  After a brief hesitation, the cat moved onto the wet maple leaf.  The moment it noticed the leaf was wet, it stopped in its tracks, dipped its head (as though tasting) and actually started drinking the water from the leaf.  The cat sipped its way across the leaf until all the water was gone.  When it couldn't find any more water, it stopped and just sat where it was.  It's still there.

Curious, I thought I'd try a wet leaf on another cat.  I cut another piece from the maple leaf, shook it dry like the first time, and slipped it under a leaf with a cat sitting on the leaf's tilted up edge (bottom center insert of montage).  Within moments, the cat raised its head and started sniffing about just like the last one did (I assume when it smelled the water - I'm also assuming the cat's olfactory organs are in or around the head . . . or maybe they taste moisture in the air).  Within moments it extended itself straight down to the wet leaf and started drinking its way along the veins of the leaf until all the water was gone.  Then, like the first one, it just sat there.

So, I tried it one more time, just to be sure.  I found two cats together (top right insert of montage), and placed a wet apple leaf - a variable to see if it was the maple leaf or the water that was the attractant - beside them.  The closest cat did just like the others - sniffed around, moved to the water, then started drinking its way across the leaf.  A minute or so later, the second cat did the same thing.

The only conclusion I can come to is that my cats are thirsty, and enclosed, non-natural environments may not provide enough water/humidity.  I've seen how quickly a leaf left in their container dries out..  If the leaves dry out too quickly, I think the cat will, too.  In the wild, the leaves are kept moist by the action of the tree.  Condensation on cool mornings could also help.  Unless the food in their container is kept moist, like in the wild, I think they will start to dehydrate.  Why else would they sniff out the water, then lap it up until it's all gone?




Drinking water




08-17-11:  Everyone seemed mellow this morning.  The cat hugging the wall was still on the wall, right under its old, shed skin - it molted.  The rest of the cats were all just sitting around, occasionally wriggling a centimeter or two then just sitting.  They seem to have done a fair amount of eating and frassing.  I think they liked yesterday's artificial rain.  I didn't give them any rain today, but I did dip several leaves in water, leaving them in random spots.  Length-wise the largest cat still measures just under 17mm (not including hairs).  Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but they do seem a little fluffier.

As for their interests in the added leaf variety, they completely ignored the cherry and apple.  The maple (a broad-leaf variety, not vine maple) was a hit.  Four of the cats were sitting on what was left of two leaf parts.  Today I added birch and lilac.  When I've gone through my experimenting, I'll add any new preferences to their daily diet - after all, in the wild they get to chose something new simply by migrating to the next tree.

08-18-11:  From the looks of it, the cats were all relaxing after a hearty meal - except for the one still hugging the wall.  I suspect it'll join the others by tomorrow.  It's still the largest cat, though now possibly tied with another.  They both measure 17mm.

All was quiet until I started changing their food and cleaning their container.  They actually became quite animated.  The two maple leaf pieces I'd left the day before yesterday were almost completely gone.  The little plum branch showed signs of fairly heavy feeding, but not as aggressively as the maple.  The lilac and birch were untouched.  I'd left the cherry and apple in an extra day, as well.  The cherry had one corner nibbled; the apple was untouched.  I find it interesting they're so willing to add (big-leaf) maple to their diet, when last month they wouldn't touch it.  (The leaves average about 10+ inches wide by 8+ inches long.  Some on the tree appear well over a foot wide.)  I'm thinking of trying blackberry, as well.  In fact, I'll eventually try most deciduous leaves . . . though if they secretly prefer poison oak, well, that's just too bad; I'll never know.

After cleaning their container, I added another small, fresh, wet plum branch.  Two cats took to it right away.  I then added half a fresh, wet maple leaf.  I guided a few cats to it, and just like last time, they aggressively started exploring and lapping at the little pockets of moisture.  I also added a fresh, wet white oak leaf which two cats curiously explored.  I've got black oak, too, and I'll try that later.  Once all the leaves I'd added had mostly dried, the cats did the same sit-and-stare routine as on the 16th.  To help maintain a good humidity, I've started to lightly mist the container lid before I seal them in.

08-19-11:  Everyone was laid back this morning, doing nothing.  A new, smaller cat has taken to hugging the side of the container; I assume preparing to molt.  The largest cat, which was hugging the wall until yesterday, was back on plum, and one other was on plum.  Five cats were on maple.

From the look of things, they're now eating more maple than plum.  Considering they wouldn't touch maple in the first week, kind of makes me wonder where their new willingness came from.  My first guess is they're not too unlike us, following cravings and what tastes good, some tastes not appreciated until later in life, others discarded . . . perhaps receptors (newly grown or old ones being turned on for the first time) triggering a new instinct - stimulus and reaction to some foods, no stimulus, therefore no reaction with others . . . could even cause them to shun old favorites.  Regardless, I believe it's safe to say that by their 5th week they're willing to switch food - kind of in line with what I've been thinking they might do in the wild.

Other than yesterday's exploring of the wet oak leaf, they weren't interested in tasting it.  So far, they only care for the (big-leaf) maple and plum.  Today I added a wet leaf from a purple ornamental maple - the leaves start in spring as purple, grow 5 to 6 inches across then change to a dark green.  One cat beside the leaf checked it out right away, but it looked more like a drink of water run than a taste test.

The biggest cat measured 18mm, the smallest 12mm.

I'm wondering again if they'll all wind up the same color, or will some never turn the fuller red, staying instead yellow with a few red, hairy spots?  Time will tell, or not.

08-20-11:  The small cat that was hugging the container wall appears to have fallen off the wall.  Lying on its back with its little feet pointing up, it looked like it was dead, like it might have even struggled a little to right itself.  But looking at its image in the camera's viewfinder, it still looked supple and internally moist.  I think it's just in its frozen molting posture.  I don't know if being on their back for molting is detrimental, so I carefully righted it.  It moved, just enough to smooth out the kink it had from lying on its back, then continued its frozen posture.

The rest of the cats were on the other end of the container, sitting quietly on their food.  One was on plum.  The rest were on or under maple.  Hardly any plum was touched, but they had eaten well the (big-leaf) maple.  (I'm almost certain it's big-Leaf.  Gathering more leaves today, I measured some at more than 15" across.  I also noticed some have started to yellow.)  From appearances, the cats have switched from eating plum to eating maple.  They, however, did not touch the purple leaf maple.  Today I added sugar maple.

In changing their food and cleaning their container, I inadvertently prodded several into wandering.  The largest cat stopped part way up the wall, making it easy to get a measurement through the clear plastic.  I couldn't believe it.  It measured 22.5mm.  It looked a little more stretched out than when I usually measure them, but still, it's nice to see some good growth.  Another looks close in size.  The smallest cat is still the one I thought was molting on the wall yesterday.  Didn't measure it - didn't want to disturb it again.

08-21-11:  Six cats were sitting quietly on their food.  One cat was hugging the wall - my guess, another molting.  The cat that fell from the wall yesterday looks a little poorly from a distance, but up close (lower right insert of montage), it looks fairly normal, to me.  A few setae can be seen lying around the cat.  This was common in other molts, so I assume everything is going well - I always worry about the runt in the litter, and this one is very tiny compared to the others.

Two of the cats were sitting on plum.  Only a bit of plum showed nibbling.  The rest of the cats were on maple.  The sugar maple I offered yesterday seems to have been met with some favor.  The remains were hard to distinguish from the chewed up big-leaf maple.  I wonder if their eating preferences will change as all maple turn color.  As I mentioned yesterday, some leaves are already turning.  Maybe the cats are at a stage in their development where maple's changing chemistry is found attractive/necessary to eat?  Still a curiosity: when I offered big-leaf maple in their first week, they wouldn't touch it; now they love it.

Today the largest cat measured just over 20mm.  It didn't look as stretched as yesterday, but more relaxed and fluffy.  Two other cats are also in the 20mm range.  All three are the most red.  The yellower ones, depending on their stretchiness, are all between 15 and 18mm.  The runt seems stuck at 12mm.




08-22-11:  Three cats molted since yesterday.  One must have finished not too long before I checked them.  It looked wet with slicked back setae - more on that one later.

All but two cats were sitting idly on their food.  The two sitting yesterday on plum are still there.  They were two of the molted cats.  The cat that climbed the wall yesterday was the other molt.  No plum was eaten since yesterday.  Also, no sugar maple was eaten since yesterday, though one cat is quietly sitting on the sugar maple leaf - perhaps a spot to molt?  Only big-leaf maple was eaten.

I believe the runt is dying or dead.  It looks smaller than yesterday, more contracted, less supple.  Perhaps it was the runt for a reason, and that reason just caught up with it.  I'll leave it there another day or two and see what happens.

The largest cat measured 21mm, at rest.  The freshly molted cats are all contracted, and look shorter (but fatter) than yesterday, 12mm +/-.  Except for the runt, they all look healthy.

About the freshly molted cat, still wet-looking, the following are my observations on Post Molting Behavior:
The top left montage insert shows how I found the cat, looking like a punk-rocker with slicked-back rainbow-colored hair.  The black object under its head is the old head-casing.  I had wondered why all molted cats left behind one shinny wet-looking pellet-like thing that actually looked like it could be tarry frass.  From its placement, it would appear the head-casing comes off last.

I watched for a few minutes.  It did nothing, so I gently blew on it.  It wiggled a little, and several setae started popping free.

A few moments later, the cat arched its head and tail upward, then started rolling itself in place, first in one direction, then the other.  It did this three times, until it finally got its hairdo right - definitely an interesting way to comb out freshly molted bed-head.

The cat hasn't moved for about 3 ½ hours, though its setae have all now pretty much straightened.  I tried to get a view of its head for any color change, but the cat would have none of it.  It scrunched itself up and pulled in its head.  I thought it best I no longer bother it.




08-23-11:  Today was another typical day at the caterpillar ranch - no one doing anything, to speak of.  The cat on the sugar maple molted and had already preened before I got there.

The runt cat is still just sitting there.  Curious if it was still alive, I gently pushed.  It still seemed pliable, and its feet seemed to still be stuck to the floor of the container.  I gently pushed again, and I could feed its grip release, foot by foot.  I tried to carefully flip it over, but only managed to slide it around.  Figuring I'd use a small piece of paper as a dust pan, when I tried pushing the cat onto the paper, its feet were again gripping the container floor.  Visually, the cat looks even more poorly than yesterday.

It didn't look like there was a great deal of eating, but judging by the amount of frass, at least some had a hearty appetite.  Still no return to eating plum or sugar maple, though I did see a few nibbles had been taken from the sugar maple.  It would appear they've completely switched to big-leaf maple, with no more than occasional browsing elsewhere.

The largest cat measured just under 22mm.  Three others are 20mm or over.  Two are in the 18mm range.  The freshly molted cat is all scrunched up - no sense in measuring it.  Also no sense in measuring the runt.

08-24-11:  The largest cat molted, again.  It had that same slicked back hairdo, like the last cat on August 22.  It also went through the same wriggle motions to fix its hairs - three separate times, with about a one minute pause between each set of wriggles.  Then it just sat on the wall, all scrunched up.  The molt took place before I checked the cats.  I'm hoping to catch one just as it starts molting.  I took photos of the 3 wriggle events.  They look the same as the last cat.  I tried getting shots of the head, but like the last cat, it wouldn't come out from its black fuzz; I even tried blowing on it and gently stroking it, but it wouldn't budge.

I've given up on the runt.  Its lost its suppleness, has shrunk even more and is turning dark.  Also, it's feet are no longer gripping anything.  Underneath it looks dark, drying out, withered.  After today, there will be photos of the remaining 7, only.

Another cat has climbed the wall.  It's been there about 24 hours.  I assume it's next to molt.

The remaining 5 cats have been sitting motionless on their food.  Still no return to sugar maple, however, the two cats who molted yesterday on the plum leaves ate a fair amount of plum.  A fair amount of big-leaf maple was eaten, too.  Except for the freshly molted, scrunched up cat, they all look a bit bigger.  I didn't measure anyone today.

08-25-11:  Everyone looked like they were sleeping when I arrived.  Frass was all over the place - must have been one heck of a party.  Heavy eating on big-leaf maple, moderate eating on plum, minor nibble on sugar maple.  Sugar maple is now off the menu.  Not sure what to try next.

After cleaning out their old food and frass, 4 cats became quite active, for a little while.  The largest cat (molted yesterday) finally stirred from its corner.  While walking around, it measured 28mm; while eating, 25mm; at total rest, 23+mm.  Two other cats came in at 22mm.  The rest were between 21 an 19+mm, all measured at rest.  Three of the 4 wandering cats went from leaf to leaf.  I assume they were checking out the new odors of fresh plum and maple.  The large cat and two others found a big-leaf maple and ate for about 3 minutes.  The other wanderer crawled under the maple, and now thinks it's hiding.  In the past half hour, periodically, a random cat moves, appears to take a few bites, then naps again.

08-26-11:  One more cat molted.  Everyone spent the day sleeping.  They're still sleeping (8:28 PM).  Last night's eating was good.  Big-leaf maple was the favored choice, by far.  Didn't measure anyone today.

08-27-11:  Everyone looked noticeably bigger today.  The largest cat (top right) was 26mm at rest and stretched to over 32mm when moving.  Two others are about 1mm shorter.  The smallest was just over 20mm.  Last I looked, it was searching the wall, as though looking for a safe place to molt.

Speaking of which, the cat that crawled under a maple leaf the other day, hiding, has molted (top left).  The maple leaf no longer covered it; the leaf was eaten away by the other cats.  Looks like I missed the hairdo dance by just a few minutes.

An interesting thing I've been noticing on the freshly molted cats is that the front and aft black areas not only have black setae but the skin in those areas is now also black.  Originally, I thought the skin stayed yellow, just looking black because of the dense black hairs.

It appears the cats had another party last night.  About 2/3 of the big leaf maple pile was consumed, frass all over the place.  No plum appeared to be touched, but just in case, I'll keep offering it.




08-28-11:  Another night of good eating.  Again much of the big-leaf maple was consumed.  The plum was untouched.  No one seems to have lengthened, but they do appear a bit fattened - some cats now actually look like they'll have enough bulk to turn into a moth.

Everyone looked lethargic today.  Only one cat moved when I cleaned their container.  When I reloaded their food, that cat promptly crawled under a leaf and hunkered down.  Everyone else ignored me, including the three cats hugging the wall, one of which has been there going on three days.  It seems if they're not eating or napping between meals, they're molting.

Still lightly misting their environment every day.  Also adding a freshly washed, damp leaf, for anyone who needs a quick drink.  Most times, at least one cat comes over to "explore" the damp leaf, sometimes several.

08-29-11:  Doesn't appear to have been much activity overnight.  Some cats ate a bit from the maple, but nothing from the plum.  Of the three cats hugging the wall, the one that's been there 3 days has molted, probably an hour or so before I checked on them.  My guess is the other two will shortly follow suit.

At the moment, everyone looks peaceful.  Didn't want to disturb their tranquility, so I didn't take measurements.

08-30-11:  One of the two cats hugging the wall molted.  The other will probably do the same by tomorrow.  The rest of the cats were just sitting around.

A fair amount of big-leaf maple was consumed.  Though I add fresh plum every day, no plum was touched.  I now give each plum and maple leaf a light misting before adding it to the container.  Some cats explore the plum, drinking the water droplets as they go, but I'm certain they only pay attention to the plum because of the water.  After cleaning their container and adding a few misted leaves, several cats woke right up and appeared rather thirsty.

Measurement wise, as I've come to expect, they're all over the chart.  Following the usual molting behavior, the just molted cat against the wall is all scrunched up.  Scrunched, it measures 20mm.  Except for the two largest cats, the others measure 22 to 25mm.  The two largest cats measure 28mm at rest.  One started walking around, looking for the water; it stretched to 38mm.  After having its fill, it settled in, contracting back to 30mm.

I find it interesting that since they switched their diet to big-leaf maple, they've increased their growth rate so dramatically.  I wonder if they'd have grown as quickly if I'd kept them just on plum - an experiment for next year.

08-31-11:  Another cat molted.  I checked on them last night at 8:00PM, and must have missed the molt by no more than 10 minutes.  I'm still hoping to get pictures of a molt in progress.

This morning everyone is just sitting around, doing their usual daytime nothing.  About 20% of a four inch plum leaf was eaten.  Very little, if any, big-leaf maple was eaten.  There was very little frass.

A few cats seem a little fluffier/fatter, but no one really looks longer - they all seem to be posing in scrunch mode.

Color-wise, they seem mostly the same, orange to red/orange.  Predominant yellow is mostly gone.  There are a few cosmetic differences, most noticeable along the back - spots or stripe-like markings that are artifacts of the way the dorsal setae present themselves.  I'm curious to see if they all look the same after their final molt.

09-01-11:  It seems almost a daily event; another cat molted.  The molt was completed before I got up.  There's one other cat now hugging the wall - whenever a cat is on the wall to molt, they always do so with their heads pointing down, I assume for easier exiting of the old skin.  One large cat is exploring.  The rest appeared to be napping.

They had another good night of eating and frassing.  No plum was eaten, only big-leaf maple.  After cleaning their container and giving them fresh, misted leaves (leaves cats are sitting on get returned to the container), three cats came to investigate.  All three appeared to be sipping from the leaves.

Measured one cat while it sipped on the wet leaf - 32mm.  Another cat sitting on a dry leaf measured 30mm.  One exploring cat measured 35mm.  Two cats measured 25 and 28mm.  The littlest cat measured 22mm at rest.  The freshly molted cat was all scrunched up.  Based on how bulky it looks, my guess would be it's about 28 to 30mm when at normal rest.

I assume maculata pupate in September and emerge in May.  It's now the beginning of September . . . .

09-02-11:  Another cat molted; came out very fat-looking (left column, center).  And yet another cat has climbed the wall.  The rest are sitting idle.

They're still eating and frassing well.  Both big-leaf maple and plum were consumed, but much more maple than plum.  I've noticed on occasion one cat sitting on plum leaves.  I've been wondering if it's always the same cat and that it might still have a preference for plum.

Cleaning their container didn't activate any cats, though adding misted leaves did wake up two.  One went right away to the maple and sipped its way across the leaf.  The other was the cat on plum.  I misted a plum leaf and it chose the misted plum over the misted maple.

Not wanting to disturb them more than necessary, I didn't measure anyone today.

I did, however, closely examine the photos.  At 100%, it's quite interesting how their dorsal patterns look.  The differences are rather distinct and fascinating - some have no spots, others have from one to five spots, some spots are the result of setae that are colored all the way to the root, other's spots are a result of color in the hair-tips.  The orange/red to yellow/orange abdomen (some gaining a light touch of brown) is another noticeable difference.  You'd think they'd all look the same, but some are so different, you'd think they were adopted.




09-03-11:  No new molts today.  The cat on the wall is still waiting.  Hopefully, I'll be able to photograph the entire event.  I won't count on it, though.  They seem to do most things at night, which makes sense if you're a tasty little caterpillar.  It could also explain why I've never seen one in my yard - I'd like to figure out where they hide during the day.  The rest of the cats were doing their usual napping.

The cat on the plum yesterday was still there this morning.  I looked in on it several times yesterday.  If it wasn't sleeping, it was munching.  By this morning, it had eaten quite a bit of plum.  Big-leaf maple is still the leaf of choice for the others.  They ate quite a bit.

After I cleaned their container and added fresh, misted leaves, three cats came to drink.

Five cats are now 3cm or bigger.  Three appear quite fluffy.  Each cat now appears distinctive, its coloration and dorsal pattern as unique as a face.  For example, the cat that has been sitting on the plum has acquired a rusty look to its redness - that was also the first time I saw a cat groom its underside.  An interesting thing to note is that its curled forward position reveals a darkness to the skin that doesn't show up in yesterdays picture, or anytime the cat straightens out.  When the cat is straight, it shows only a faint darkened dorsal stripe that has nothing to do with the color of the setae.  It looks like just a sparseness of hairs, a space between two circular rows of setae, with dark skin beneath.  I believe two other cats also have dark skin.

09-04-11:  Another cat molted, and again, I missed it.  I looked in on them first thing.  The cat on the wall was still sitting there.  After making coffee and feeding the turkeys, I checked again.  The molt was over.  I'm beginning to wonder if they're intentionally avoiding me capturing the molting process.

The newly molted cat measured 25mm, all scrunched up.  The largest cat measures 37mm.  Walking, it measured 42+mm.  Two other cats measured 35+/-mm.  The remaining three measured 30 to 34mm.

Eating and frassing were good.  Lots of big-leaf maple eaten.  Some plum eaten - didn't see who did it.  Added a Himalayan blackberry leaf and several native blackberry leaves, just to see if they're interested.

One thing I noticed today, though it's been there for a while, is that not all cats have the same number of red segments; some have more black - two seem to have three red segments; some have five red segments.  I'll have to watch and see if that changes on subsequent molts.

09-05-11:  The cats were again lazing around.  The cat on the wall was still sitting there.  The three largest cats were on plum.  One cat was on maple, one on Himalayan blackberry, one on native blackberry.  Still eaten the most is big-leaf maple.  A fair amount of plum was also eaten.  The native blackberry was nibbled at.  The Himalayan blackberry was more than nibbled at, a snack perhaps.

Size-wise, for the most part, no length changes; actually a tiny shrinkage - but such are the ways of the Slinky.  They do, however, look a bit bulkier, but that's probably a result of pulling themselves in lengthwise.  In appearance, they still maintain unique faces.

Today's curiosity: How differently would these cats have grown had they been raised in the fluctuating outside temperatures, rather than a constant 66 to 68 degrees with controlled, higher humidity?

09-06-11:   The cat that was sitting on the native blackberries molted.  The cat on the wall is still there and will probably molt by this time tomorrow - I'm assuming it'll wait until I'm asleep, so I can miss getting pictures of that one, too.  Three cats were on the big-leaf maple, and two were on plum.

Quite a bit of maple was eaten, as was a fair amount of plum.  Again, someone snacked on Himalayan blackberry.  The native blackberry, except for being molted upon, was ignored.  Total amount of plum and maple consumed seemed higher than the last few days, so was the amount of frass produced.

Hardly any activity when I cleaned their container.  Only two of the larger cats explored the newly added, misted leaves.  After taking a few sips of water, they settled in for a nap.

Didn't measure anyone today.  The largest cats look about the same as yesterday.  The next smaller cats seem to be catching up to the larger cats.  The two smallest cats (the one hugging the wall and one hiding under a leaf, both of which look like they could molt) will probably start catching up after their next molt.

I've noticed all the larger cats are taking on a slightly rusty hue.  I'm wondering if the largest cats have had their final molt, and might be soon ready for pupating.

09-07-11:  No molts today.  The two smallest cats, however, are still sitting idle on the container wall, as though they're getting ready.  Four cats were sitting on big-leaf maple, and one was on plum.

At rest, the largest cat measured just over 40mm, a bit later it measured 38mm and yet later, it measured 42mm.  The others I measured only once.  Four were between 32 and 36mm.  The two waiting to molt were 27 and 29mm.  The smallest are still the most yellow.

Lots of eating and frassing going on.  I check on the cats several times a day.  Last night, my final check showed they'd already started eating, and consumed a good deal of maple and some plum.  That was the first time I had to feed them twice in one day.  By this morning, about a quarter of last night's additions were consumed.  Again big-leaf maple was their first choice.  The cat I often find on the plum was on the plum again; I assume it's the one that consumed most of the plum leaves.  Interesting how they all still seem to at least munch on plum, while one still seems to prefer it.  Neither of the blackberry leaves were touched, so I removed them.  Another interesting thing about leaves in general is the cats seem to prefer the larger leaves.  (With the larger maple leaves, I cut the leaf into 4 x 6 inch sections; small leaves, some only three inches across, I leave whole.)  If I offer just smaller leaves, they will eat them, but if I offer both large and small maple leaves, they always eat the sections of large leaves first.  They also seem to prefer the larger plum leaves, often totally ignoring the smallest.

Only the largest cat came exploring and sipping when I cleaned the container and added freshly misted leaves.  At the moment, it's munching moist maple.

09-08-11:  One molt today, and again I missed it (top right).  There's still one cat hugging the wall, so I should have another chance soon.  The rest of the cats, the five largest, were sitting together on maple.  This is the first image with all the large cats together.  Usually, they're scattered, and I have to cut and paste separate shots.  In this image, you can actually get a real size comparison.  The largest (left) measured 38mm.  (The photo was taken from approximately three feet away.)

A fair amount of big-leaf maple was consumed.  The plum was untouched.  The usual amount of frass (teaspoon +/-) was removed.  No one came running for water droplets when food was added, though four of the large cats did start eating the old leaf they were on.  One large cat (top center) wandered off and hid under a maple leaf on the far side of the container.




09-09-11:  Still waiting for the cat on the wall to molt.  The other six cats were nicely arranged in a fairly compact group on big-leaf maple.

It appears they will all be the red/orange/rust color.  When the one on the wall molts, I'd venture to say it will have the same color as the others - it's still somewhat yellow/orange.  The main variations now seem to be: do they have a row of spots or not, how many orange body segments and is the skin black under the orange segments?  There sure have been a lot of changes since they emerged from eggs - quite fun.

The largest cat measured 40mm, while nibbling maple.  At least half of yesterday's maple was eaten.  Only a snack was taken from the plum.  Lots of frass and leaf bones.  Almost every time I looked in on them yesterday, they were eating.  Today, their appetites are again pretty good.  Funny watching them eat, too - if one gets too close to another, it gets smacked by the other's tail.  It's also interesting watching them hurl frass - I thought they just left it behind, but now see they wiggle their butts around, and fling it.  Talented little fellows.

09-10-11:  The cat on the wall molted.  Missed it, again.  Everyone else was scattered around the container, all sitting on big-leaf maple.

Lots of eating and frassing going on, more so than usual.  I've been giving them extra portions lately.  They seem grateful - more than 2/3 of what I gave them yesterday was gone this morning.  Only maple was eaten.  Plum wasn't touched.

Measured 5 cats at 35 to 38mm.  One cat was 41mm.  The freshly molted cat, still scrunched up on the wall, measured 30mm.  I suspect once it starts eating again, it will quickly catch up to the others.

As I suspected yesterday, it appears the colors of the freshly molted cat are now more in line with the others.

Considering how large these cats are getting, I'm assuming they're in their 5th instar, perhaps one or two of the smaller ones in their 4th.  I'm wondering what to anticipate when they pupate.

09-11-11:  The cats were pretty much scattered throughout their container.  All were sitting on big-leaf maple.

Again, there was much eating, etc.  By 7:00 PM yesterday, they'd finished about half the day's maple ration.  I gave them a second ration, and by this morning, they'd consumed about 2/3 of that.  A good meal for one was also taken from the plum.

No one bothered to stir when I cleaned their container.

09-12-11:  Not much to report today.  Eating and frassing are still in high gear.  Big-leaf maple is still hands-down the favorite, though some plum was also eaten.  Today I started feeding them double portions, rather than feed them twice or have them run out of food.  All cats look fat/fluffy and healthy; the largest measured 40+mm, smallest 32mm, the rest between 35 and 38mm.

09-13-11:  The cats had another feast.  With how much they've been eating lately, you'd think they were trying to put on weight for a Mothra sequel.  They only ate big-leaf maple and were scattered over and under what leaf sections were left.

Because of how they were situated on the leaves, it was difficult get many measurements.  I was, however, able to measure one of the larger cats.  It came in at 42mm while munching.  Another cat looked even larger, but it wouldn't hold still for a measurement.  I did get one poor attempt at measuring it, and all stretched out it approached the 50mm mark; contracted, at momentary rest, it measured closer to 42/43mm.  Amazing how they've grown! and can stretch!

Cleaning their container caused a flurry of activity.  The largest wandering cat went straight for a misted leaf and started sipping.  The other wanderers found new feeding stations and started eating.  All except two appear to now be resting.  The two exceptions are still eating - one is the 42mm cat.




09-14-11:  Amazing how much food was eaten.  About 85% of the big-leaf maple was consumed, while the plum wasn't even touched.  All cats but one were sitting on maple, one was on the wall, but not in the vertical, head down molting position.  I wonder, had I not offered them maple, what size and in what condition would they be now?

I suspect there won't be too much more growing, except maybe a bit of catching up by the late molters - and at the rate they're eating, probably some fattening up, too.  I'm very curious to find out what will trigger them to start pupating.  What are the signs?

As usual, the first part of cleaning the cat's container was uneventful - I transfer the cats that are sitting on leaves out of the container, and they sit peacefully on those leaves waiting for me to put them back.  I then clean out all frass, leaf bones and small leaf pieces . . . fortunately, the cats stuck to the walls or bottom hold on pretty good when I dump the refuse, and I haven't dumped a cat, yet.  I then add fresh leaves in an askew manor, so the cats have places to go in, under, around and through.  About half the leaves are misted.  I then return the cats to the top of the pile.  Today, within a minute or so, five cats sniffed around and went straight for the fresh, misted maple.  After what looked like a brief sipping session by all five, they began eating and are still doing so.

09-15-11:  Didn't get to look at the cats until 7:30 PM.  I did, however, give them an extra helping of big-leaf maple in the AM.

Cleaned their container.  One cat got riled up.  It's been pacing the container from end to end, side to side for the past 45 minutes.  Almost seems like it's looking for something.  In its walkabout, it stirred up several other cats, who then started their own wandering.

09-16-11:  The cats are still eating and frassing a lot.  About 2/3 of the big-leaf maple was consumed.  The plum was again untouched.  If they don't take plum by tomorrow, I'll stop offering it.

I didn't measure anyone, per se.  I did, however, photograph one cat next to a ruler.  I tried to line the head up with the 20cm mark, but the cat kept moving that end.  Regardless, it stretches from just under 20cm to almost 24cm (almost 40mm) - this isn't the largest cat, just one that was easy to maneuver next to the ruler.  Some cats are a bit bigger, some smaller, all seem to be growing well.

Again after cleaning their container, a cat went on walkabout, different and more purposeful than wandering about.  A second cat joined in.  Both cats are ones without spots.  Their dedication still makes me think they're looking for something . . . there's a definite purpose to it.  They even push other cats out of the way, or climb over them.

09-17-11:  The two cats on walkabout yesterday walked about all day, all evening, and were still on walkabout this morning.  So they don't continually disturb the other cats, I gave them their own container, where they promptly continued their walkabout.  I still have no idea why they're doing this, but it's so purposeful, there has to be a point to it.

The other 5 cats were idle, sitting on leaves - 3 on big-leaf maple, 2 on plum.  A fair portion of plum was eaten, but again hands down, more maple was eaten.  Guess I'll continue giving them plum.

Note: After lunch, I checked on the walkabout cats.  They finally seem to have taken a break.  One is under a maple leaf, the other on a plum leaf that's still attached to a small branch with several other plum leaves.  I spread the maple leaves over the plum branch/leaves, tent-like, in case they were looking for a place to hide.  Don't know if they had the same idea, but they maneuvered under the maple tent and settled down.

09-18-11:  Two cats told me what "Walkabout" means - "I'm looking for a place to pupate."  At least that's what it appears to mean to the two cats I segregated.  As I mentioned yesterday, they settled down after my lunch.  They stayed settled the rest of the day, and were unchanged when I went to bed.  This morning they were still in the same place, only now, they were cocoons.  Nothing in their container had been eaten, and there was no frass.  Interestingly, the first two cats to pupate were the smallest.  Another interesting thing is both had only one black spot behind the anterior black section.  There's still one cat with only one black spot (upper left insert - it's also now the smallest); I'm curious if it'll be next.

(To relate to which cocoon belongs to which cat, I've paired up each last cat image with its pupa image - a montage.  Since I didn't actually watch the process, the cat and pupa images are matched to the locations of the cat and the subsequent cocoon - I'm assuming they didn't trade places at the last minute.)  These cats will now be referred to as Cat and Cocoon 1 (CC1) and Cat and Cocoon 2 (CC2).  And yes, one pupa is very notably darker than the other.  And no, they are not different sizes.  Both are about 3/4 inch.

The remaining 5 cats are still cats.  All were idle, 4 on big-leaf maple, 1 on plum.  Again, a good amount of food was consumed, and again, it was mostly maple.  Frass was also plentiful.  No one stirred when I cleaned their container, however, in the past 15 minutes, one cat has started exploring, and two have started munching.  If the exploring turns into a walkabout, I'll give the cat its own container.




09-19-11:  I watched yesterday's exploring cat, on an off, for about ½ an hour.  It was on walkabout - quite different than simple wandering, walkabout has a definite urgency to it.  I prepared it a private container, and it continued walkabout all day.  For ID purposes, I took a few photos.  It was still on walkabout when I went to bed.  The center bottom image shows what I discovered this morning - the cocoon had just been started.  I periodically photographed it until the cocoon was finished.  This cat will now be referred to as CC3.  For ID purposes, I also created a montage of the cat beside its completed cocoon.  Like CC1 and CC2, CC3 did not eat or frass before pupating.

Of note: yesterday I was curious if the next cat to molt would be the remaining one with only a single spot; CC3 had a full line of black dorsal spots - guess they pupate when they're ready.

The remaining four cats seem content, at the moment, to remain as cats.  All were sitting on big-leaf maple doing what they do third best - sitting there.  Earlier, they had done what they do first and second best - eating and frassing.  Again, quite a bit of maple was consumed.  Plum was not touched.  No one stirred when I removed them from the container, no one took the opportunity to make a break for it while I cleaned their container, and no one stirred after I returned them to their container.  Nevertheless, I suspect I may have seven pupa by the end of the week.




09-20-11:  Not much to report on the remaining four cats today.  No cats on walkabout.  Everyone seems happy to just sit around on their leaves - before I cleaned their container, while cleaning it and after returning them to the container.  Three cats were sitting on maple, one on plum.

A fair amount of big-leaf maple was eaten.  Frassing seemed equivalent.  Though one cat is sitting on plum, no plum was eaten.

A few moments ago, one cat (the last with only one spot) woke up.  It's now slowly meandering through the pile of leaves.  Another appears to be quietly munching maple.  After a few minutes, the meandering cat settled down under a maple leaf.  The munching cat is still peacefully munching, though possibly taking little cat naps between bites.  A third cat has also stirred and begun a slow meander to the leaf edge.  It too appears to be munching.

I've noticed the past few day, since just before pupating started, an increased amount of setae has been littering the bottom of the container.  I've also noticed the thinning of setae on several cats, making it much easier to see the skin under the hairs.  One cat today seems to be sporting the thinned setae.  CC1 and CC3 also showed a lot of skin before pupating.

09-21-11:  Yesterday, everything quieted down after lunch.  It stayed that way until 3:45 PM, when another cat started walkabout.  The cat is spotted.  I moved it to a private container.  This cat has not eaten or frassed since moving into its new abode.  Based on the last three pupating cats, it would seem they pupate from 20 to 24 hours after starting walkabout.  Currently, the walkabout seems rather intense.  I hope I don't miss part of the cocooning when I go to lunch.

I've been wondering about the walkabout, the purpose it serves.  I assume the first part is to help eliminate all frass.  I would think the cat then starts looking for a place to pupate, but I suspect there's more to it than that.  I'm wondering if it's not also giving its innards a final churning and blending of material, possibly releasing some chemicals in the process that get mixed into the stew - blending the necessary ingredients for proper cooking, so to speak.  I'm also curious about a habit they seem to have during walkabout: climbing to the top of the container, starting to walk across the inside of the lid, then allow themselves to drop to the floor of the container, usually with a fairly audible "thump".  They'll do this climb/drop thing several times then continue on the walkabout.  A while later, they'll do the climb/drop thing again, returning once again to walkabout - perhaps they're trying to fall to the ground to pupate?  A third curiosity is that periodically, they suddenly stop, rear their head up and to the sides several times, then continue on.  The head bobbing is very similar to their response when I put a freshly misted leaf in the container and they appear to sniff out where the water is.  I wonder what a pupating cat is sniffing for . . . if it is sniffing.

The remaining three cats still don't seem interested in walkabout - I'm thinking of naming them: Fat, Dumb and Happy.  Like usual, they're sitting around, doing nothing . . . until they get bored, when they move a few inches then sit there, sometimes munching, sometimes not.  All in all, the three remaining cats seem to still be on their nightly feeding binge.  A goodly amount of big-leaf maple was consumed.  Several chunks of plum leaf were also consumed.  Frassing was equivalent to consumption.

09-22-11:  The five-spotted cat on walkabout has pupated.  I watched it all day and evening, figuring it would pupate like the others, in 20 to 24 hours.  Several times it stopped and looked like it was checking out a spot to pupate, but each time I picked up the leaf for a closer look, it started walkabout, again.  Maybe it would have pupated had I not disturbed it, or maybe, just to make a liar out of me, it waited until sometime after midnight - so that makes the length of walkabout a 20 to 36 (or so) hour process.  Regardless, I didn't wait up to get photos.  This cat will now be referred to as CC4.

Of the remaining three cats, two (Dumb and Happy) are lazing about on maple; one (Fat) (bottom left insert) is doing a slow meander around the container.  When I first checked them, all three cats were sitting idle.  After cleaning their container, the one cat (Fat) started wandering (11:45 AM).  Based on how it appears to be "searching", I suspect a full-blown walkabout will be under way by this afternoon.  As soon as I transfer CC4 to a pupation container, I'll move the meandering cat to its own walkabout container.

Eating and frassing were good, considering only three are in a state capable of eating, and one of those stopped eating sometime this morning.  Only big-leaf maple was consumed; plum was untouched.

1:00 PM update: walkabout is definitely in second gear; diligent searching going on and head-bobbing very pronounced.  The remaining one-spot (top left) is still lazing on a moist leaf.  The five-spot (top right) appears to be awake and munching.




09-23-11:  Again the cats want to make a liar of me.  Yesterday's wanderer began its trek at 11:45 AM, and an earnest walkabout approximately 1:00 PM.  Given previous walkabout durations, I didn't expect pupation to start until perhaps 9:00 AM this morning to just before bedtime tonight.  Well, this cat began pupating just 10 hours after starting to wander.  Go figure!

In spite of expecting a drawn out walkabout, I continually checked on the cat.  By 6:00 PM, the cat was settled in under the maple leaf.  This time I didn't disturb it.  At 7:57 PM, still under the leaf, I noticed it bobbing its head about.  I carefully checked, and yes, it had just started spinning its cocoon.  I photographed it every 10 to 15 minutes, until 11:45 PM, for a total of 17 images.  The pupa was probably 80 - 90% complete by then.  I took one final image this morning.  Time to actually build the cocoon was 4+ hours.  This cat will now be referred to as CC5.  I plan to transfer it to a private pupation container this afternoon.

A note on the head-bobbing: when spinning its cocoon, the cat's head bobs the same way it does while on walkabout.  I wonder if the walkabout head-bobbing might have something to do with stimulating the glands in the head that produce silk.

The remaining two cats were again lazing around, one on maple, one on plum.  Both are still eating and frassing well.  Big-leaf maple was again the favorite, though a few nibbles were also taken from the plum.  I'm still anticipating all cats to have cocooned by Monday.




Lophocampa maculata pupation sequence: 09-22-11

Timing of first nine images - left to right, top to bottom:

8:03:19 PM - 8:12:35 PM - 8:27:56 PM
8:46:25 PM - 9:03:30 PM - 9:24:32 PM
9:38:33 PM - 9:48:51 PM - 10:02:46 PM




Lophocampa maculata pupation sequence, continued: 09-22-11

Timing of second nine images - left to right, top to bottom:

10:14:56 PM - 10:26:17 PM - 10:38:57 PM
10:52:25 PM - 11:10:56 PM - 11:23:58 PM
11:33:40 PM - 11:46:03 PM - 10:49:12 AM, the following morning




9-24-11:  When I first checked the two remaining cats, they were about ½ container apart.  When I finally got to taking their pictures, one cat had meandered to the corner, and the other cat came to investigate, both coming to rest on the same piece of maple.  Cleaning their container didn't motivate them to move.  At first, they did a bit of munching, but that soon turned into their usual,"If we just sit here and do nothing, maybe he'll go away."  So, no new walkabout today, yet.

Considering there's only two cats in the container, I'm surprised how much big-leaf maple was eaten, and frass produced. - you'd almost think there was at least another pair in there.  Plum was not touched.  I was curious if the hearty eating is a precursor to walkabout.  But now I see the precursor is stopping eating.

09-25-11:  Shortly after finishing yesterday's notes, the one-spotted cat moved to the other end of the container atop a fresh maple leaf and just sat there the rest of the day.  The multi-spotted cat stayed where it was and ate about 1/4 of the small leaf segment they had been sitting on.  By 6:00 PM, the multi-spotted cat had wandered under the maple leaf the one-spot was sitting on.  It's still there, hanging upside down.  From the looks of the leaf, it hasn't eaten since relocating itself.  Still sitting atop the leaf, overnight the one-spotted cat ate a bit of big-leaf maple.  Eating and frassing have slowed down dramatically since yesterday.  Since plum was again not touched, I'm now only providing big-leaf maple.

Cleaning their container seems to have woken up the one-spot.  It munched a little, wandered to the end of the leaf then returned to where it started.  The multi-spot is still just hanging out under the leaf.  (Exciting status, isn't it?)

To add a little spice to today's report, I decided to measure them.  In their current state of slinky-ness, one-spot is 38mm, multi-spot is 40mm.

09-26-11:  One-spot is still sitting atop the same maple leaf as yesterday.  Multi-spot is still under the leaf.  Both cats are just sitting there.  Cleaning their container didn't stir them.  Petting them with my finger didn't stir the multi-spot, other than an initial twitch.  The one spot also twitched, then began a slow maneuvering over the leaf.  It settled close to the multi-spot and started munching.  The munching seemed to have awoken the multi-spot, and it too now looks to be eating.

Multi-spots' spots don't seem as prominent as they used to.

Eating has picked up a bit.  Between them they ate about 1/4 of an 8 inch big-leaf maple leaf.

I guess I was wrong about all cats being pupated by the end of the week.

09-27-11:  The past 24 hours have been rather uneventful.  Both cats meandered around a bit.  This morning, however, things were back to normal.  The multi-spotted cat returned to its perch under the maple leaf, and the one-spot found another random place to sit.  Cleaning their container seems to have aroused the one-spot, and it started wandering, but not far.  It's now sitting on the inside curl of a maple leaf, doing mild, lazy body-bends to the right and left.

Just before breaking for lunch, I noticed a cat wandering about the container - a slow meander, pausing every now and then for a little head-bobbing.  When I returned from lunch, the cat appeared to be in full walkabout.  It's the multi-spotted cat.  I gave it its own container, where it's now happily doing the typical bob and search of walkabout.

The one spot is now sitting motionless under the curled maple.

Since last night, it appears there was no eating, though there was some frassing.  Perhaps they were emptying themselves before their final venture.

An interesting aside: I noticed in today's photos the multi-spot is obviously scrunched up.  Normally, when just sitting there, the cats are relaxed and somewhat loosely stretched, or at least not tightly compacted.  If memory serves, scrunching is the position a cat takes before embarking on walkabout.  (And as a followup, I checked some of the past status pictures, and in at least two I explicitly remembered, the cat that was scrunched was the next to pupate.)  It may be an inaccurate statement to make, but I believe the actual first stage of  pupation (after no more eating)  is this scrunching and frass elimination, followed by walkabout where chemicals are released and churned into the system, accompanied by head-bobbing to stimulate the head silk glands, and then, finally, maneuvering to a good spot and building the cocoon.  I've also started thinking, since there's always a bit of setae being shed during walkabout, that the action also loosens the hairs so they may be more easily plucked and utilized in cocoon building.

If the cat doesn't start construction too late, I'll try for an additional pupation sequence.

09-28-11:  The multi-spotted cat started walkabout yesterday, approximately 1:00 PM.  It was still on walkabout when I went to bed at midnight.  When I checked this morning at 8:30 AM, it was nestled in its completed cocoon.  Since it takes approximately 4 hours for a maculata to spin its cocoon, the latest it would have started was 4:30 AM, therefore, this walkabout duration was somewhere between 11 and 15.5 hours.  The multi-spot cat will now be called CC6.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, one-spot started its walkabout last night, about 6:00 PM.  It was still engaged in walkabout when I checked at 8:30 AM, but it wasn't a frisky walkabout.  I got the feeling it was looking in earnest for a place to pupate, but it couldn't find exactly the right spot.  I then noticed the maple leaves were both underside up.  For feeding, it didn't matter how I presented the leaves, but for pupation, I always placed the leaves top side up, so the leaf stem would hold the leaf up, thereby allowing the cat to crawl underneath.  All the other cats had pupated upside down on the underside of the leaf, so I turned the leaves over - underside down with the leaf stem supporting the leaf, creating ample crawlspace.  Within minutes, one-spot nestled in on the underside of a leaf.  It's been motionless ever since.  I suspect by this evening I will have CC7.  I'll try to get another pupation sequence.

As I would suspect, there was no eating - I've gathered my last big-leaf maple and plum leaves of the year.  I found only one piece of frass in the container.




09-29-11:  As I mentioned in yesterday's status: at 8:30 AM, one-spot was in walkabout, but not a frisky one.  Considering subsequent events, I should add that all other cats were fairly animated right to the end of their walkabouts.  What was notably not frisky about one-spot was its gait, somewhat wobbly and faltering, almost like it was a bit tipsy or completely tuckered out.  I was therefore glad when it quickly nestled in after I flipped the maple leaves.  I was hoping the cat would begin cocooning fairly soon, and checked on it every half hour.

About two hours later (4:00 PM), one-spot restarted its walkabout, continuing the walkabout until just before 6:00 PM, when it returned to the same spot it had nestled into earlier.  The walkabout was again sluggish.  One-spot looked somewhat disoriented.  I was somewhat surprised it returned to its recent starting point.

I checked back at 6:50 PM.  My find is on the left side of the montage.  I figured, great, I can get another pupation sequence.  To get a decent photo, I had to lift and turn the leaf.  Even though I very carefully returned the leaf to its original position, the cat lost its footing, and nearly fell off.  It was no longer within the footprint of its cocoon, rather it was at about a 90 degree angle across the footprint.  It sat there, unmoving, for about 10 minutes.

I looked in again at 7:36 PM.  One-spot had restarted building its cocoon over the old footprint, off-angle by about 110 degrees.  I took another photo, and carefully placed the leaf back in the container.  I checked in again at 7:51 PM.  Very little progress had been made, and one-spot was just sitting idly.  Usually, when building a cocoon, the cats were very diligent; nothing distracted them; their building was non-stop.  Again, I carefully replaced one-spot, and again, it lost its footing, though not as severely as last time.  I decided I had better leave it alone, or it would never complete its task.

Just before bed, 11:45 PM, I thought I'd give one-spot a last look.  Since I wasn't planning on another photo, I only peeked under the leaf.  In the almost 4 hours since I looked last, it had managed to complete perhaps 10% of its cocoon - it should have been done.  I started wondering if a cat can turn into a moth without a fully enclosing cocoon - perhaps I could control the environment so it could make it anyway.  Those are the thoughts I dozed off with.

This morning, however, one-spot surprised me.  It had managed to complete its cocoon.  In the photo, there are two cocoon footprints under the cocoon it was finally able to make - once I left it alone.  I don't know when one-spot finished its task, but I'm ecstatic it did.

One-spot now resides in its own pupation container - a ½ gallon clear, plastic, wide-mouthed jar, just like its siblings.  One-spot will now be referred to as CC7.

Since all cats have now pupated, this is my last daily status for this batch.  Additional reports will be submitted when there's something to say, otherwise in May 2012 when, hopefully, they emerge as moths.  Each surviving moth will be in a montage along with its pupa and last image as a cat.