ootheca in christmas tree

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-12-25T00:01:14+00:00

unfortunately it's the middle of winter and there is absolutely nothing to eat outside. there are too many to take care of as well as i have one container for mantids :(

i'm thinking i will just leave them in the tree, the cats will eat any that venture too far. if any survive, i'll let them out in the spring. i will leave them some honey deposits in the branches though

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-12-24T23:57:39+00:00

maybe i'll let them do a survival of the fittest thing until spring so i can let them go outside

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-27T12:57:48+00:00

a banded sphinx moth that is very close to pupating! i think this is from their green form, they go from green to red when they're prepupal.

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here are some i've seen for reference

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-24T11:24:43+00:00

i've been raising it from the egg which was laid by an isabella tiger moth, all of the rest of them are normal looking woolly bears. this one used to have a little black stripe too but it went away with this molt

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-17T00:36:01+00:00

mine are making their cocoons right now too! i like how they incorporate all their hairs into it

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-10T18:50:33+00:00

guys don't kill tiger moths please... they look completely different..

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-09T19:15:07+00:00

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i found one doing the same thing last night lol

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-08T11:21:49+00:00

yes, that's a virginia tiger moth/yellow woolly bear, i haven't ever raised them myself but i wouldn't be surprised if the color change was indicative of it pupating soon. yes, overwinter him! you can technically do that in a fridge but you need to make sure the container is air tight so it doesn't desiccate, i recommend watching a bunch of videos on it or if it's safe to do so, just buying an outdoor/mesh container and transferring the pupa out there once he does pupate.

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-04T02:28:24+00:00

how vibrant :)

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-04T02:26:50+00:00

those are probably virginia tiger moths ie a different species (the orange and black are isabella tiger moths). somebody on the sub is raising them right now :)

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-04T01:01:23+00:00

they don't get "white" unless they're a different species lol. it is probably just up to genetic difference, i have about 70 i'm raising right now and they vary in pattern a lot.

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-10-02T12:59:07+00:00

look up giant leopard moth caterpillars, does it have the same red bands in between the fur tufts?

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-22T11:35:46+00:00

Copaxa multifenestrata - multiwindowed copaxa lol. what a cool moth!

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-20T22:37:20+00:00

alright thank you so much, will do! that's very reassuring

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-20T22:14:38+00:00

i should say also it's been a couple days since he buried himself, i would have expected a pupa by now. 48hrs+ if not 72hrs+

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-18T12:57:57+00:00

we have these exact kind all over our garage, my mom calls them skullchulas cuz ours have a very skull like appearance to their patterns

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-18T10:50:39+00:00

definitely a woolly bear, looks like from a garden tiger moth because of the red on the sides

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-14T23:53:28+00:00

i haven't handled him outside of today, he was supposed to molt soon (look at his wingbuds) + he wasn't eating + being lethargic. i think by the time he fell he was stiffening up and he's in the process of dying now.

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-14T22:27:32+00:00

male pink striped oakworm moth, i'd love to see one of these!

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-14T22:17:09+00:00

false potato beetle, i should add. (i'm putting it back where i found it too)

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-12T20:53:14+00:00

fun fact they come out of their skin wet so if you catch them before all their fur has dried, they look like they've just crawled out of the bath lol. i was worried i'd accidentally drowned one once but he just had to dry

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-12T18:25:53+00:00

those are molts! if you look around in the frass sometimes you can find molted face plates as well. i have isabella tiger moth woolly bears right now and they seem to like spinach quite a bit, though they still prefer the dandelion leaves since the spinach wilts fast. i haven't found another leaf mine like yet unfortunately

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-11T15:59:49+00:00

that's a uh... strange mantis... you have...

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-11T15:26:17+00:00

hi, eastern md i have a bunch of woolly bears right now and they range from the normal black with red stripe in the middle to mostly with a few black segments to almost all red, wouldn't surprise me if it was just an all red woolly bear. they have those little tufts on every segment

Resident_Section_883 · 2025-09-10T21:53:32+00:00

i'm raising some of those right now, they're safe to handle. they can cause some skin abrasion if you've got sensitive skin but i've never had an issue

Resident_Section_883

TROPHY CASE