Homeschool Tutorial - How to Make a Caterpillar Habitat.

My children found a little green caterpillar a few days ago and decided that they wanted to make a caterpillar habitat. 

There are a number of ready-made versions available but they come at quite a cost and I like to teach the boys that we don't have to buy things all the time - resourcefulness is an important skill. We built our own caterpillar habitat and I thought it was worth sharing. 

The first thing to mention is that you should not handle a caterpillar with your bare hands because the little spikes on their backs can sometimes be an irritant. There are some species which should be avoided altogether (see the links at the end of this post for further information). If in doubt, leave it alone and look elsewhere. 

To make a simple, practically cost free caterpillar habitat you will need:

1 large (2L) empty plastic bottle.

The bottle lid.

Enough soil ( potting soil or similar) to cover the bottom of the bottle to about 3cm deep.

A couple of twigs.

A snipping from the plant where you found the caterpillar*.

A piece of fine mesh ( fine net or even muslin).

An elastic band.

A piece of cotton wool.

1. Cut the top of the bottle off. I used insulation tape to cover the edges as they can be sharp before I gave it to the children.

2. Spoon enough soil into the bottom of the clean, empty bottle to cover it. It needs to be about 3cm deep and slightly damp. 

3. Fill the bottle cap with water and then place a piece of cotton wool into it. Caterpillars can't swim so the cotton wool is there to prevent it from drowning. Put this on the soil. This is to provide water for your plant cutting not for the caterpillar as it will get all the water it requires from munching on the leaf. 

4. Add your plant cutting. *If you don't know what species you have a good rule of thumb is to use a leaf from the plant where the caterpillar was found. They are very fussy eaters so watch closely to make sure your little guy is eating. If not try a couple of different plants but if you don't have any success then you should release the caterpillar. 

5. Add a couple of twigs. The caterpillar will need a place to pupate & form a chrysalis. Some caterpillars pupate under ground hence the soil. 

6. Add the caterpillar. Do not touch it with your hand. Use another leaf to very gently nudge the rear of the caterpillar which should encourage it to move forwards on to the nice fresh leaf you have added to the house.

7. Cover the top with a piece of mesh and secure it with an elastic band. This will keep your caterpillar safe from predators such as spiders. 

It is very simple to set up which means that children can get very involved. 

Caring for the caterpillar is also relatively easy. Make sure that you replace the food supply each day because they are always hungry and require fresh food - they won't eat old leaves. They produce an astonishing amount of waste called 'flass'. Remove this each day with a soft paintbrush, tap it on to a piece of paper and then dispose of it. If you do this the caterpillar should flourish and your children will be able to watch the fascinating metamorphosis. 

If you end up with a chrysalis make sure that it has formed in a place where the butterfly can dry its wings. If there isn't enough space you may need to gently move it to a better position. The butterfly will need to be set free as the container will be too small for it and it will damage its wings. I plan on doing some fun butterfly activities with my youngest when we get to this point to distract him because I know that he will want to keep the butterfly. I will share the butterfly activities we plan on doing soon. 

I hope that you enjoy making your caterpillar habitat and I'd love to know if this has been useful.  

I will leave you with a couple of useful links to help you learn more about caterpillas & butterflies. 

Butterfly & Caterpillar Identification
Insects That Bite or Sting
The Butterfly Life Cycle
BBC Kids Garden Activities

Pine Moth