Caterpillars
Cute, segmented and soft-bodied, caterpillars are tiny eating and growing machines, eventually changing into butterflies or moths.
Here's some fun facts about caterpillars
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Caterpillars have 16 legs for climbing and 10 of their back legs have suction cups to grip onto leaves or plants.
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They munch all the time and can grow up to 10,000 times heavier simply by eating leaves non-stop!
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Caterpillars have about 4,000 muscles in their bodies, with over 400 in their heads, to chew through leaves.
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They don’t have lungs to breathe but instead have tiny air holes along their sides called spiracles.
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They use camouflage to hide from birds, such as the lime hawk moth caterpillar which looks exactly like a bright green leaf.
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Caterpillars have 12 tiny eyes with 6 on each side of their heads. But even with that many eyes they can’t see colourful pictures and only tell the difference between light and dark.
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The bright caterpillar of the large white butterfly eats cabbage which is why it’s sometimes called a cabbage white. It stores the mustard oil from the leaves, so it tastes awful to birds who try to eat it and it’s bright colour is a warning.
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A group of caterpillars is called an army
How Your Family Can Help Caterpillars
Build a caterpillar restaurant with potted plants or a window box filled with nasturtiums to give the large white caterpillars a tasty snack. Small tortoiseshell butterfly caterpillars love stinging nettles so if you see a patch in your garden, leave some for them to munch on.
Remember that caterpillars are very delicate so don’t touch them in case you accidently squish them. If you want to see their tiny legs and feelers, use a magnifying glass.
Be careful when walking in long grass in late Summer and early Autumn, because this is when caterpillars move from plants to hide in grass or bury themselves in dirt to turn into a chrysalis.