Meet Tony, the caterpillar

While eating out Friday night, Ro found a little caterpillar and decided to bring him home. I was already 1.5 margaritas too relaxed, and helpfully put the leaf and green worm in a to-go box. Upon coming home, I researched how to raise a caterpillar in captivity and built him a little jar house. This morning, reality was a little sobering. The little guy wasn't eating the leaves I had put in the jar, and I had no clue what he wanted.

Enter the world of Facebook! Soon after I posted his picture, a friend suggested he might be a Hackberry Emperor butterfly. He definitely appears to be from the genus, but his body size and mask (face) are more like a Tawny Emperor, while the spotted pattern on his back is more like a Hackberry Emperor. Luckily, both eat leaves of the Hackberry tree. Enter Facebook again! A friend of mine happens to have a hackberry tree and she offered up leaves for Tony.

Tony is now sitting with a full stomach, having eaten a big chunk of one of the leaves. He has more food waiting to be consumed, and a determined little caretaker who refers to him as "my baby" (NOT "My Precious"). While I was a little torn about raising a caterpillar in a jar, he is really fascinating to watch. I spent a lot of time today just watching him nod his head and crawl along the sticks, dirt and leaves I provided him with.

I found this picture of a Hackberry Emperor from my Caddo Lake archives, so this is one possibility for what Tony will look like as an adult. More updates when he pupates.