August-September 2022 • Nebraskaland 47
then grabbed both the sunflower and the inchworm to
take back and show other staff. Everyone was gone for the
evening when I arrived at the Preserve headquarters, so
I took the caterpillar to my cabin for the night. I put the
sunflower in a jar of water and added another flower (hoary
vervain), hoping to entice the inchworm to change its diet
and disguise. Then I put a paper towel across the water to
prevent drowning accidents and put an upside-down glass
on top of the jar.
The next morning, I woke up and immediately checked on
the caterpillar. To my surprise and delight, it had altered its
appearance overnight. However, it had chosen a costume I
hadn't predicted. It was a completely reasonable decision,
given the dominant color in its new environment, but it still
made me shake my head in amazement.
The looper didn't switch to the vervain and decorate itself
with bits of purple flower. Nope, the little bugger had crawled
down to the paper towel and made itself a beautiful white
garment to match! It was the perfect choice.
I didn't think I could love the camouflaged looper any more
than I did. I was wrong.
N
Chris Helzer is the Nature Conservancy's director of science
in Nebraska.
The caterpillar camoufl aged itself with bits of paper towel.
Here's the container I made to keep the caterpillar happy
overnight (minus the glass I put over the top).
