Yeah, I thought it was probably a moth, but it didn't feel right to go to the pest forum because this one's a pet, not a pest (there's a fine line, isn't there?) and I didn't know where else to go. I was about to cross-post there anyway just now, but I think my caterpillar is pupating already. Guess I'll find out what kind of moth it is soon enough!

Sherry, the Polyphemus spins a white cocoon. Unlike the Luna, the Poly cocoon is quite dense. They spin a LOT of silk! Their cocoons look like tiny surgical casts. In fact, it is because of this, that the Poly's first cousin, native to China, Antheraea pernyi, was and may still be used for silk, just as the Bombyx is. The Cynthia moth is also used for silk. At one time, Cynthias were common in NE US, but have largely died off, chiefly due to habitat loss as well as parasitoids such as the tachinid fly. Susanlynne, one sureshot way to tell male from female Luna, at a glance, is color. The females are that characteristic green, while males are yellow-green. I could tell from my upstairs bedroom window, the Luna I saw, resting on a young hickory, was most definitely a male. No way could I see its body size or antennae. I hope this helps.

Well I've found 4 so far and I haven't seen any more droppings. But I did order some btk this morning, so I will still treat the plant. My dad used to grow tomatoes and I went to pick some for him. I saw a big green worm and I've never messed with a tomato plant since then, which was in 1975. Yesterday I realized this was the same pest! But this time I'm not giving up. My neighbor's (who gave me the plant) daughter took one of the caterpillars and is going to keep it. So yeah, I guess kids like them. The only pest that I've seen that is more scary is a potato bug. I'm no fan of insects.

I don't know how long it takes, because I just put mine in a terrarium under wadded up paper towels, then put this terrarium in my dark guest room and covered it with towels to keep it dark. I forgot about them, and when I remembered to check on them, they had made their pupae. I'll be putting them outside in the big cage with the other pupae, chrysalides and cocoons. They're interesting looking, because they partially retain some of the spots that were on the caterpillars. I probably should mention that I knew they were ready to pupate, because, in addition to being big, they purged, not as much as swallowtails do, but definitely purged. Sherry