IO moth caterpillar found today

Found this guy trucking along the driveway in my mom's neighborhood. I just looked him up online and ID'ed him/her as an IO moth cat. I figured those pretty spines wouldn't feel too good on my skin, so I nudged him into an empty ice cream container and brought him home.
He is in a big bin with leaf litter, some soil and an oak tree branch. When I just checked on him, he was kind of nuzzled down in the leaves. The websites said roses, oak, and ixora leaves are food sources that I have in the yard. We'll see what he's doing tomorrow, maybe he'll be well rested and hungry.
Any suggestions? I'd love to be able to help it pupate and become a gorgeous moth!
Cathy

Wow, congrats! Cathy, it looks very handsomely decked with tessels. And I agreed that it wouldn't feel good on bare skin. lol. I'll see if I can find some helpful links for you.
Kim

WTG SV!!! With all those hosts you will surely find one he will eat. Keep us posted!

Fly_girl;
Glad to see you posting, have you or anyone heard of Thea? I haven't seen her posting for a while.
Kim

No, I haven't seen her posting lately, I hope she is okay and just busy, have you dmailed her?

Rox

No I haven't. I didn't want to impose on anyone, just kind a missed her posting that's all.
Kim

Cathy;
How is your baby doing today? I've raised a Tersa cat. recently, and I'd stood there and watched it wandering around for hours just before it went into hibernation (cacoon stage). Keep us posted on it progress? Thanks.
Kim

Cathy I raised mine on Azalea leaves. That is what I found them on. All 6 made it to cocoon. They cocooned in the leaves of the limbs I put in there for them to feed on

The cat didn't seem too interested in much of anything today. I put in in a kiddie swimming pool with dirt, leaves, several bricks and a hibiscus, an ixora and rose branches. Wandered around a little but seemed content on the brick. I misted the brick and I think it was actually drinking the mist running down the brick.

Here he is on the brick

This is the last pic I took around 4 pm. He's still on the brick, but with his head pulled away, an intense yoga pose. Maybe he's ready to cocoon?
I tried finding more info on the process, but everything just seemed to say- makes a slightly silky cocoon, maybe using some leaves, on the ground. So we'll see what happens tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for the tip on azaleas Donna. I don't have any in our yard, may have to get a couple, just in case.

Cathy,
Here is my thread so you can scan through it and see a similiar moth behaves just before it pupated. Best of lucks with yours. bbl
Kim
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/774042/

Kim, What a great thread! I was waiting on the edge of my seat for the Tersa baby to be "born" and so happy to see her pic. Congratulations!

Hopefully tomorrow morning I'll see a hungry cat or find a cocoon. I plan to get some of those caterpillar castles, just waiting til holiday bills clear :-(

Cathy

Just realized I didn't attach the pic to the post about the yoga pose! Duh!

That pose is suspicious of pre-pupating yoga pose. lol, I think your baby is about to pupate. It's so cute! Oh by the way. When my Tersa went into pupate, I didn't have the dirt/soil for it to hide. But I did have a coffee filter at the bottom of the cage, it did spin a light net to enclose itself in the coffee filter. But I manage to get it out (very gently) and clean out her house, and let her cacoon on top of the flower pot that I provided thereafter. The set up you've is wonderful. I think your baby is happy as can be there.
Kim

Way to go!!!! I've had Io Automeris caterpillars in my yard feeding on wisteria. I raised a couple of them...but never handled them :o) Had a male and female moth eclose from the two I raised.

~ Cat

The cat shows no interest in the buffet of plants I've offered. I even went and got some azalea plants this morning!
He was walking around slowly this morning, seemed interested in the dirt and leaves, but ended up curled behind a leaf on the side of the pool.
He's been there since about 9 this morning, and is still in the same spot now.
I hope he's OK.

Looks like he's getting ready to for "sleeping beauty" adventure. :-)
Kim

The cat starting wandering around later on this afternoon. I put a variety of leaf litter (oak, maple, banana, and shredded dried grass & weed clippings from the lawn) in with it. It seemed to inspect stuff then continue slowly on its way.

More inspecting, and it's kind of undulating its body.
Stretched:

Squished:

It's doing this while in one spot, guess maybe its rearranging its innards, getting ready to pupate??
It was so cute to watch it moving stuff around, discarding leaves as it shopped around.

Moving the furniture...

A front view

Darkness is coming, seems to have settled on an oak branch

Between watering a bunch of plants, raising pollywogs, and now housing an Io moth cat, this $7 pool has definitely given me its moneys worth!

I am sad to say that the little Io cat has gone to moth heaven. This morning it was moving around a little bit, then just stayed in one place. I checked on it before I left at about 4 and still in the same place. I just got home and went out with a flashight and I'm pretty sure it's gone, it looks sunken. I was so hoping to help it transform into a beautiful moth, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. :-(

Awww, I'm so sad to hear that. I think I know what you mean by "sunken". I had a zebra swallowtail cat do that once. It's like someone let all the air out of him. In fact, that cat was almost full grown, too. I wonder if there's some stage in the process that just didn't go right with them? At least you got to learn about a new kind of moth, and now that you know they're in your area maybe you can find some more!

Melanie

Thanks Mel.
I keep thinking maybe I could have found it some kind of better food, but it didn't seem to want anything I offered.
I will be on the lookout for more.
Cathy

Ohhh, I'm sorry to hear the news, Cathy. I've found these pics. "The World Of Butterflies" and been wanting to show you.
Kim

KIm, thank you for the beautiful pic!
I'm still kind of hoping for some kind of miracle, but I think I'll be burying the little cat in the butterfly garden tomorrow.

Cathy,
I can relate to how you feel. It wasn't anything that can be help. I've found a monarch cat. during the summer. Some wasp must have found the cat. before I did, perhaps that was the reason... Chin up. Hopefully there will be brighter days ahead.
Kim

Thanks Kim!

((((Hugs))))))) to you Cathy. Good news, I've found Thea's posting on SC forum. I'm glad she's on the mend.
Nite nite,
Kim

Oh Cathy, so sorry to hear it, it probably wasn't the food you offered him, most likely something else, like Kim said. I just had to dispose of 12 Monarch chrysalids because the tachinids had found them before I did, yuk. Nothing worse than looking in the critter keeper, checking on the chrysalids, and see white icky maggots crawling around!

Sometimes you just do your best and you did!

Kim, Thea is okay? Good to hear that!

Yes, I was tickled pink to have found Thea! This flower is for Cathy and Thea. May our days are bright ahead.
nite nite Fly_girl, Cath.
Kim

Nighty night Kim!

Thanks for your kind words fly_girl. :-)

Oh how sad. That was such a beauty cat moth that found you for its "Guardian Angel" Cathy.

I enjoyed all the photos and tracking though. Thanks for sharing it even if it does not survive:(

LU

Thanks very much Lucille. Unfortunately the poor little cat didn't make it and I did bury it the next day in the bf garden. I planted a pink penta over it. ;-)
Cathy