Munch a Bunch From the time a caterpillar hatches from its egg, it starts to eat. For the next two to four weeks, it’s a nonstop eating machine. Caterpillars eat by biting and chewing with


sharp, powerful jaws. T eir jaws open and close like scissors to tear leaves into tiny pieces. Caterpillars can be picky eaters. Many eat


just one type of plant. Not all caterpillars eat leaves. Some eat parts of fl owers, beeswax, and even other insects. T e stinging rose isn’t fussy. It nibbles on any tree or shrub in its path. Its mighty jaws make quick work of an elm leaf. Slice. Snip. Grind. Gone. For a predator, a caterpillar stuff ed with fresh leaves makes a tasty snack. To stay safe, caterpillars have ways to defend themselves. Some have defenses like the ones the puss moth uses. T ey wave tentacles or spit at


predators. Some make whistling sounds. Others use stinging spikes to keep predators away.


Growing Out of Their Skins A caterpillar uses its defenses to stay alive. T at way, it can keep doing what it does best—eat. In fact, even eating can be a defense for some caterpillars. A monarch caterpillar eats milkweed. T at not only makes the caterpillars taste bad, it makes them poisonous. T e more a caterpillar eats, the more it


grows. Caterpillars have a tough outer skin that gets too tight as they grow. As they get bigger, a new skin starts growing underneath the old one. In time, the old skin falls off . T is process is called molting. To lose its old skin, a caterpillar like the


monarch spins a small patch of sticky silk on a leaf. It grips the silk with its prolegs. As the old skin splits apart, the monarch wriggles out. Its new skin is soſt and moist. T e monarch rests while the new skin toughens up. Like most caterpillars, the monarch will


This hungry caterpillar will turn into North America’s largest moth.


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molt four or five times. Between molts, it will keep eating and growing. With each molt, it will look a little diff erent. With each molt, it gets closer and closer to adulthood.


A monarch caterpillar molts.


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