Hide and Go Seek with 3 5th Instar Caterpillars

So I just got home from work only to have to look for my three 5th instar 'pillars. Good thing I have a small mostly clean apartment. The scary part is, 5th instar caterpillars can be found 30 to 50 feet from their original milkweed plant. Taking on one 5th instar is one thing, taking on 3...quite different.

My trouble making 'pillar that had wanted to attach itself to the side of the bowl is now satisfied with the blinds and is in a beautiful hanging "J". Tomorrow after noon it should chrysalis!

This morning I was happy to see my youngest 'pillar shedding into just about 4th instar. You can tell when a 'pillar has reached 4th instar when you can see small white dots on their prolegs (hind legs). A caterpillar's skin does not get bigger. Once the skin becomes stretched and too tight the 'pillar sheds the skin. The new skin is much more wrinkly and will smooth out when the 'pillar gets larger.
To shed the caterpillar pops off the head cap and crawls through the opening. The new skin is very bright and beautiful and the 'pillar's new head is bright yellow until it hardens. Some times the 'pillar will eat its skin for extra nutrients. After it sheds it is very fragile and won't move for a few hours till everything is hardened.

"Baby" just shed! Notice its yellow head and droopy antenna? You can also see its old skin.

(Side note: Sorry about all the poop! I really do clean it daily. Just didn't want to disturb him.)

4th instar- See the white spots on the "back" legs?



INTERESTING FACT:

The predation on monarch caterpillars, especially egg and 1st instar stages, is very common! Very few eggs make it to become pupae. They are routinely eaten by several insects, arachnids, and parasitic flies and wasps. A paper published in Biological Control found that non-native lady beetles that prey primarily on aphids, also eat soft bodied insects. They studied the predation of lady beetles on monarchs. The 3rd instar lady beetles prayed on monarch eggs at a rate of 25 eggs per larva per day and 15 1st instar monarchs per lady beetle per day. However this was conducted without aphids present.

An individual who was discussing this finding. Found 14 confirmed monarch eggs in their garden were found to have been slit open and the egg inside consumed. Some may be thinking that the caterpillar could have hatched, however, 1st instar caterpillars will consume their egg soon after hatching to obtain the vital protein and nutrients.