Some very interesting behavior from Hubert today! He has been hanging out at the top of his cup, such as in this picture, and sometimes I even saw him dangling from the top! He also has been eating A LOT more. I remember that I mentioned in an earlier post that I never see him eating during the day, but there isn’t as much food left when I wake up the next morning. However, I have been seeing him eat a lot more now. When adding that to this new “cup ceiling” behavior, my only guess is that he’s getting ready for metamorphosis. I’m so excited!

Hubert says hello! It’s evident that he really likes to move around in his cup, which is awesome! It looks like the food is also going down quite a bit, but I never see him eating during the day. My guess is that he’s eating at night, which would make sense because they prefer to not be in direct sunlight. Maybe he’s nocturnal? In any case, I’m proud that Hubert is making progress ever since his traumatic day of riding my purse. Maybe I’ll see him transform!

Hubert is still having a grand time. It looks like he has eaten a little bit, but still not as much as I would expect. He also looks to be a bit longer in length as well as fatter, which is great! Soon, he’ll be ready to form his chrysalis! There is something odd next to him, though. I’m not sure what it is, but it kind of looks like… him??? I don’t know what it is and I’m not sure whether or not I want to know. However, from watching his behavior, he doesn’t seem to be sick. I’ll keep an eye on it and see if anything happens.

As of right now, I have Hubert sitting next to my GameCube. I will probably move him the next time I decide to use it, but he seems to enjoy this spot. He still has a lot of food left, but he is still very active! He likes to climb up the sides of the cup a lot, as is shown in this picture. My guess is that he is practicing for when he forms his chrysalis. This may also be the reason why he isn’t eating a lot, because I know caterpillars of all kinds like to eat a lot before beginning metamorphosis. Perhaps this is a sign that he may be transforming soon?

Or he could be dying, but I really hope that’s not it.

I feel very bad for myself because I have no good place to put Hubert until I get home (I’m a commuter), so he had fallen out of my purse a couple times. Fortunately, Hubert is still alive and kicking. He likes to climb along the sides of the cup and explore. I have not seen him eating a lot yet, and I’m assuming that’s because he is still getting used to his new cup. It also doesn’t help that I’ve dropped him a couple times already. As of right now, Hubert is slightly smaller than the size of my thumbnail. My prediction is that next week, assuming he lives, he may be the same size as my thumbnail, if not slightly bigger.

Hubert is a caterpillar with the species name Vanessa carduis. He is the larva for a painted lady butterfly. These insects do well in the wild, but for educational purposes, they are able to thrive inside of a cup filled with some food. After some time, they will form a chrysalis and turn into their adult butterfly form.

The purpose of this blog is to document my journey and observations of Hubert the Caterpillar as he grows. This assignment is for my class, EDU 327/391, otherwise known as Teaching Science. The posts on this blog will include how Hubert has been eating, what he is currently doing, and any other life updates that may come with it. Hubert is just as excited to do this as I am, and I hope this blog serves an educational purpose!