Yes, Msrpaul, I was referring to cilantro. Good to know that they wont eat it before I buy it. I have always wonderered if a caterpillar would be reluctant to switch from one food to another, but dont want to try it! I was thinking that, too, about those plants being unsprayed, MissSherry. And if there was one big caterpillar, maybe there were others that ate the parsley.

LOL! Thats a funny one! Wise one? I think not, just went through the moth thing is all =) I dont know much more about terrariums than you! =) When you mentioned you had a terrarium I just figured it had a semi screen top, sorry for assuming =( " When you did this clean out, was that the plants, the soil and the anoles?" everything! yes, cleaned everything with near hot water, plants in cool water, removed all the soil from the tank, and removed all the soil from the roots too, cleaned everything else in near hot water and brush everything off, the tank too, then reset everything back up the way it was with new soil, added the anoles too!, now, the secret is, dont over water! the soil should be just moist enough to keep the roots from drying out, if any water starts to build in the soil it will sour and attract the flies, moths, and gnats, I just mist lightly once, sometimes twice a day with a regular old plant mister, I make sure that water gathers on the leaves a bit so the anoles have water to drink, they wont drink from bowls so this works out great, by the way, they will eat till the critters are gone! when they do, take them out to a temporary tank, take your set up outside, ( if there are any live moths they will fly away outside and not in your house/apartment) and go to town! Good luck and please keep us updated =)

Cool! I made a tiny terr. like that at the beginning of summer (this year), in which I just have moss. I may put a micro-mini sinningia in there soon (if the seeds every germinate), and I was also thinking of a small sundew if those don't work. Great minds think alike, eh? =) I haven't been able to take any pics of mine yet. It's much smaller than yours though. I got the glass bowl at a thrift store. Yours is very nicely landscaped! I like the contrast between the plants, and the rocks are nice, too. Nice little webpage!

There are many set ups to protect caterpillars, all that work are good! I don't normally use aquariums, but I'm raising some red-spotted purples that I found on willow in an old terrarium, because it keeps the willow fresh longer. Willow doesn't last long in water when exposed to wind or anything below 100% humidity. I've covered the top of the terrarium with netting, secured with clothespins. This not only holds the netting in place, but you have to put the top on to the side of being straight on, leaving two little places for minimum air circulation. It might be alright to keep it 'sealed' since the container probably isn't REALLY air tight, but this is working and seems more like the right way to do it. I'm hoping these willow cats are actually viceroys! Sherry