Caterpillar condos and prior (and post) accommodations...

Here's where they live. This is a 1qt yogurt container filled nearly to the top with water. The center of the plastic top has been cut out, and a piece of sheet plastic placed between the container and the top and stretched fairly tight. Holes are poked into the sheet plastic for the stems of anise cuttings to reach the water. The cats stay out of the water this way, and the anise not only stays fresh, it actually grows. Well, it tries to, but it's generally a losing battle with the cats.

The rubber band (or string, cable tie, etc.) keeps the branches from falling outward.

This arrangement works pretty well. Chewed-up branches can just be pulled out and new ones stuck in.

The 6oz container shown below may also be used for very young caterpillars. There are several more cats here (much maller ones) than the two visible ones, both of whom are about ready to begin condo life.

The anise fronds that are found with eggs or very tiny 1st instar caterpillars can go in individual 25ml volumetric flasks (University discards)...these are the bassinets. Easier to keep track of the little ones this way. Can't easily see the cats from this far away, though.

Fast-forward a week or two in condo-land: when a caterpillar hits his/her midlife crisis and starts roaming, and especially after she/he has pupated, it's wise to keep him/her somewhere safe where you can keep an eye on the little devil. Costco sells mixed salad greens in nice transparent containers, and these make very good post-condo quarters---a quick glance or two gets you the status of the entire population:

Below is the view from the top, sans lid [the pupas sitting on the paper towel are ones that were carefully peeled off of vertical surfaces in bad neighborhoods]:

Kathy also uses these containers as shoe-boxes. I had to wrestle this one away from her. The biggest challenge entailed in using these nice boxes is peeling off the sticky label without leaving most of it behind on the plastic. It'll test both your patience and your manual dexterity.

Can you spot the roamer in these three pics?