# data[].attributes.body
This is where the 8 Painted Lady Butterfly larvae will be living for the next few weeks.  Note the penny--this will be used for scale as observe the caterpillars.  What's the brown stuff?  It's their food--a processed version (without preservatives) of the plants they would normally eat.

# data[].attributes.body
This larva (and the others we'll be watching) is probably about 4-5 days old.  It's less than 1/2 inch long.

# data[].attributes.body
What do Painted Lady larvae USUALLY eat? Turns out they are picky eaters and only like plants from the mallow family. Here's a before/after picture of a few caterpillars encountering some mallow I found in the neighborhood. Very Hungry Caterpillars indeed!

# data[].attributes.body
Another Chrysalis Close-up

# data[].attributes.body
Note: The adult butterfly located at the bottom of the container was later lifted and placed in a larger netted area where it was able to dry its wings and survive.

# data[].attributes.body
This time-lapse video was shot last spring.

# data[].attributes.body
To see a time lapse recording of the transformation from larva to pupa, check out this You Tube video: https://youtu.be/AcMvw1n7ARg

# data[].attributes.body
Dinnertime...

# data[].attributes.body
This will be used to house the adults until they are released.

# data[].attributes.body
Releasing the butterflies

# data[].attributes.body
Releasing the butterflies

# data[].attributes.body
close-up of eggs; actual size 0.5mm. (See 11-6 for reference)

# data[].attributes.body
How many larva in this photo?

# data[].attributes.body
This 2nd-generation larva, shown in close-up, is approximately half-the size of the caterpillars at the start of our observations  back in October--roughly one month ago!

# data[].attributes.body
It's been 6 days since the last update. Many, many of the eggs laid by the butterflies did indeed hatch. Finding food for them has been challenging (given that it's 'off-season' for the cheeseweed mallow) but many continue to thrive. This post marks the end of the Caterpillar Updates for Fall 2020. I will continue to observe the growth of this second generation of caterpillars. With any luck, we'll have new butterflies by the end of the month!