Simpler caterpillar accomodations...

The caterpillar accomodations have undergone a substantial revamp and are now much simpler and easier to maintain. Shown below is the set-up: an enclosure cobbled together from square dowel, hardware cloth, and scrap plexiglass. The small fennel container (a spice jar from Trader Joe's) in front of the enclosure is used for fennel with an egg and for the 1st 2-3 caterpillar instars, after which they go into the enclosure.

The enclosure has three sides and a hinged top, all made of fine hardware cloth (wire mesh), and a plexiglass front and no base at all. The dimensions are 12" on each side and 16" tall.

The enclosure was sized to fit inside of a plastic storage box. The latter is lined with paper towels to catch frass and other debris.

The fennel containers in the enclosure are plastic jars that originally contained Parmesan cheese. I fill them 2/3-3/4 full of water and enough cut fennel is added to each container to fill the diameter of the container so that it is very unlikely that a caterpillar falling off the fennel will end up in the water below.

If the fennel in a container needs to be replaced with a fresh supply, it's a simple matter of opening the lid of the enclosure and lifting out the container. I usually have a new container with fresh fennel ready to go, and I peel the caterpillars off the funky fennel and carefully place them on the fresh fennel and place the container in the enclosure.

When the paper towels get too loaded with frass and small pieces of fennel, I just lift up the enclosure and set it aside as shown below, then remove the fennel containers and set them aside, then fold over the paper towels to trap the dried frass, then dispose of both. I clean the storage box if necessary and line it with new paper towels and put the enclosure back in place and replace the fennel containers.

Once caterpillars are housed in the enclosure, they stay there until they pupate and the butterflies emerge from the pupas. Roaming greenies (the final instars) settle on both the wire mesh sides and top and the wooden frame of the enclosure as shown below. They lay down plenty of silk, as you can see, to provide good attachment points.

When a butterfly emerges and its wings dry and stiffen enough to allow flight, I lift up the top of the enclosure and coax the butterly onto a fingertip and carry it outside to release it.