okay, that was very helpful! but this is where im at now: he burried himself, stayed there for a few hours, but i think he wasnt comfy enough cuz he came back out, moved around, and went back to that spot an i gave him some more leaves...should i really try to cage it off outside, or make like a terrarium inside? i really wanna see all this happen, i dont really care for moths, i like butterflies and hummingbirds. but, having this special priveledge in my own backyard is very exciting! should i try to make him more comfy or leave it alone? i have no idea what im doing an i dont wanna miss any of it...so are they poisonous? i was always told that if theyre brightly colored they could be poisonous. are they restless like this for a bit? where else can i find more info? this is the best site ive found, but im very curious!

this pupa was parasitized by four tachinid fly larvae which emerged as adults 09/28/06.

The caterpillar would have spun a very flimsy silk cocoon underground. This would have isolated it from the soil. By digging it up you destroyed the cocoon. That's OK. But by re-burying it, sand is likely to get between the segments, i.e., on the intersegmental membranes. Now when the abdomen wriggles the sand will damage the extremely thin waterproof layer of wax. The result could be fungal infection or dehydration either of which is likely to cause death. Best thing to do now is dig it up, give it a good wash and keep it in a clean container. The diatomaceous earth used for cockroach control works on this principle, it erodes, by abrasion, the wax covering on the cockroach allowing for dehydration. Wax coatings on insects are only a few molecules thick.