Cecropia Caterpillar Spins its Cocoon

Last night we made our first attempt to capture a time-lapse of our largest native caterpillar here in New Hampshire spinning its magnificent cocoon. Hyalophora cecropia, the Cecropia Giant Silk Moth, gets as large as a breakfast sausage and spins a huge, complex, double layered cocoon - we want to see every moment!

Check out near the end of this film, when the caterpillar appears to apply some liquid to the silk that quickly dries, staining the cocoon brown. Most finished cecropia cocoons are tan or brown - is this the color of the dried silk, or some other product of the caterpillar that we aren't aware of yet??

Stay tuned this summer - we hope to get the ultimate cecropia cocoon spinning sequence!

- Sam TCL Director