Learn about the monarchs that were raised at the school in the fall of 2018 in this link ----->
This is a luna moth caterpillar. It is usually a green, but sometimes turns an orange color right before it cocoons up. It eats on leaves of hickory, walnut, sweet gum, persimmon, and birch trees
The luna moth in the right picture is almost ready to fly. It will not eat as an adult. Due to pollution and pesticide use, this beautiful moth is struggling to survive.
Monarchs have several things that can hurt them including pesticides, parasites, and bacteria/virus/fungal infections. One of our classroom monarchs was killed by a parasite known as the tachinid fly. It was not discovered until the chrysalis developed a string on the chrysalis. The Butterfly Fun Facts webpage has a page dedicated to these diseases and parasites.