Hello everyone, I've managed to gain a moth pet! About a month and a half ago I found a caterpillar on my kitchen counter and a flatmate of mine suggested rather than leaving him out in the cold to shelter him in a large kilner jar in the kitchen. Long story short he went into a cocoon and nearly 2 months later has emerged as a beautiful Angle Shade moth. My question is, given he's emerged in the middle of winter should I release him or keep him in the jar? Can moths live through the winter or will he just perish with the cold? The internet has suggested giving them rotting fruit/honey, any suggestions at all? Thanks for your help, Emily
I doubt if your moth would survive the winter outdoors. Maybe you should try feeding it with the fruit and honey and see if it survives until spring. Good luck.
Typically, it's usually best to let nature take it's course and leave it outside...in your case that would mean putting it back outside under some leaves. The late season caterpillars of this species and many others will either burrow underground to spend the winter, then in Spring will spin the cocoon and pupate. And there are some that will spend winter under piles of leaves in the cocoon and hatch out in the Spring. The late season moth of this species will sometimes migrate further south for the winter. You might also contact a local zoo to talk to their lepidopterist for further advice.
Hello, would you be able to give me an update on how things developed with your angle shade? I'm in a similar situation as I brought home a caterpillar found on a lettuce leaf at work destined to be made into a sandwich. A few months later and he's now a lovely little moth, but it's February and I've read angle shades are found in the uk between May and October. He's happy eating fruit that I'm putting in his jar, but I'd prefer to not have to keep him in there. Did you wait until spring to release yours or risk it with the cold?
