Day 10: Webbed Feet...

I couldn't believe what showed up inside the caterpillarium under the photography lights! So much webbing, everywhere! The caterpillars use it as a kind of transport system, a video will follow soon, but this photo of cute feet will have to do for now...

Just incredible, you cannot see any of this in normal daylight!

They are all Peacock Caterpillars

The two nests I found down the road last Saturday are both Peacocks! They are huge now..

Day 9: More Molting...

There is quite a bit of molting going on today. They stop eating and become very still in their webbing. Then, as you can see in the very right centre of the photo, they leave their old skins stuck in the fine thread.

Hiding today!

Day 7: I've tried to count how many...

... it's not an easy job!! I reckon there could be as many as 50, but they just keep moving!

These are just some of them

They are getting bigger all the time and molting too. I clean them out and give them fresh nettles every day. Here is photo of some the remnants they leave behind after a molt, plus all the webbing they use to secure themselves during the process, oh yeah and all the poop!!

It's quite fascinating (and disgusting)!

Day 5: Peacock caterpillars are big enough...

... after just 4 days, so it's time to go into the caterpillarium.

Day 1: Rescued caterpillars...

..are all safe! I've had to put them in a jar, as these fellas are so tiny I think they could escape from the caterpillarium. I unpicked an organza bag to use as a lid as they would easily fit through the netting I usually use.

They are so tiny! You just make them out behind the glass.
 (As always, click the photo for full size version)

Settling in their new home

I can't believe what happened today...

I have not searched for caterpillars at all this year, up until today! I had this overwhelming urge this afternoon to go and check the nettles behind our garage. To my complete astonishment I found these Peacock babies:

There are at least 3 times this amount again underneath the leaf

I then found another small nest just a few plants along. I know that these nettles will soon be cut down by the neighbour so I have moved them in with us.

I then walked up the road opposite never expecting to find anymore, that would just be greedy!

Nevertheless a few meters along the road I found this nest :

I've never seen so many caterpillars in one place!

About a meter from that nest I found another:

I'm not sure if these ones are Peacocks or Small Tortoiseshells, I will be keeping a close eye on them over the coming weeks and of course be updating on the progress of the rescued caterpillars.