Ants interacting with a silvery blue butterfly caterpillar, Glaucopsyche lygdamus, at The Caterpillar Lab! One of the highlights of every summertime caterpillar lab show is watching these ant-caterpillar interactions play out under our digital microscopes. Last year we joined our audiences in awe as we observed inflating tentacular organs for the first time. Even our old-time caterpillar lab experts can still be suprised and delighted by these strange and complex little creatures. | The Caterpil

In April and May the campgrounds in Zion National Park can be teeming with tent caterpillars. The western tent caterpillar is a native species of the western United States. Cottonwood trees seem to be the preferred host in Zion Canyon, but tent caterpillars may defoliate many species of broadleaf trees and shrubs. The caterpillars are currently approaching full size at about 2 inches long and are highly variable in color and markings. The body is generally covered with orange or orange-brown hai