A series of videos posted by a man, in which he shows the process of rearing caterpillars to butterflies, have gone viral on Instagram.
Ricky Odriosola, 32, who is pansexual, is based in Los Angeles. He’s a digital content creator. He has milkweed on his balcony, which he knew attracted Monarch butterflies.
“I saw a butterfly laying eggs on my milkweed plant,” he told Queerty. “Instinctually I grabbed my phone and started recording my reaction. From there it pretty much fell on my lap that I was going to raise the caterpillars.”
Odriosola was hoping to watch the eggs hatch on his balcony. However, the arrival of Hurricane Hillary in September made him think again. For the safety of the eggs, he made the decision to try and raise them indoors.
Again, seeing them finally hatch thrilled him.
The videos began to rack up tens of thousands of likes. Odriosola did research on how to best nurture Monarch caterpillars and invested in butterfly cages.
The caterpillars grew and turned into cocoons. He then captured the moment one of the beautiful butterflies emerged and spread its wings.
He released his butterflies … although this one didn’t seem in a hurry to leave “dad”.
“They never stop eating”
What’s the biggest lesson Odriosola has gained from the experience?
“I’ve learned that caterpillars eat a lot,” he told Queerty. “They never stop eating. I also learned how to take care of caterpillars as I had no clue when I decided to take the butterfly eggs in.”
Was he surprised the videos went so viral?
“Honestly, yeah, I’m surprised the caterpillars were so popular. I had posted the videos on TikTok before and they didn’t get pushed out. It wasn’t until I posted them on Instagram that I saw how much people were interested in the process.”
Lastly, would he have any advice for others who wish to rear butterflies or moths?
“I’m no expert but I would tell someone to do extensive research. There are little nuances that we aren’t aware of about our crawly friends. It’s nice to be prepared.”
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Mostlikelytobedownvoted
“Everyone” …as in, “six 13 year old girls on TikTok, and the 12 year old writer who wrote this useless article.
1898
thanks for your commentary, Debbie Downer
dbmcvey
Very sweet!
still_onthemark
Not only cute but important, since monarch butterflies are facing a lot of threats and a decline in population.
bachy
That was fascinating. I’m in LA and embarrassed to admit that I was trying to place his general location from the view outside his balcony. Couldn’t figure it out.
JRamonMc
Great story about a compassionate young man. We should all be invested in something with that amount of passion.