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Name: Jake B
Status: student
Age: 6
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2001
Question:
My grandma brought over five caterpillars(green/white striped with yellow spots-black swallowtail). We fed them Queen Annes Lace for several days and it appears that two have made it to the cocoon stage. How amazing it has been to watch them for two weeks now! I noticed some hair-like silk spun around them to keep them attached to the side of the terrarium, but they are turning green. My question is how is the actual green cocoon produced? Is it like a "molding" process? Is the caterpillar still alive and producing this? When you look at a butterfly, is the mid-section(body) the actual caterpillar that once was?

Replies:
You might try starting with this page of articles on butterfly biology, from the butterfly web site.

http://butterflywebsite.com/Articles/constructlist.cfm?type=buttbiology

There are also links and other information on their home page.

http://butterflywebsite.com/

J. Elliott

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