Want a Cozy, Free Home? Ask This Caterpillar How | Deep Look

As a caterpillar, a grass skipper butterfly is an architect. It builds its home by weaving silk, which the caterpillar uses to fold shut a blade of grass. After growing up inside this “grass taco,” it emerges as a fuzzy butterfly that woos a mate with flirty courtship dances. 👉 SIGN UP for Deep Look’s newsletter, Nature Unseen: https://bit.ly/NatureUnseenSignUp JOIN our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deeplook SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/kqeddeeplook?sub_confirmation=1 DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED in San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. ---+ Find a transcript on KQED Science: https://www.kqed.org/science/1995410/want-a-cozy-free-home-ask-this-caterpillar-how ---+ More great Deep Look episodes: Why Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar So Dang Hungry? https://youtu.be/el_lPd2oFV4?si=o94cbghKRubiJQws These Silk-Swinging Caterpillars Will Ruin Your Picnic https://youtu.be/fv16qtBBdJI?si=vjszUMlHsBn0pwlk Why Did the Mexican Jumping Bean Jump? https://youtu.be/3lkdidU79TY?si=BwNieQyLdUHi94_x ---+ Shoutout! Congratulations to our three fans who posted a correct answer to our GIF challenge! Caterpillars of grass skipper butterflies excrete silk from their spinneret. They spread silk on a blade of grass to create a silk pad that will prevent them from slipping. @dare2dash806 @Adushkou @Idkwhattoputhete12324 ---+ Thank you to our top Patreon supporters ($10+ per month)! Darby Sullivan Rachel Fenichel Edgar Betancourt Susan Fuhs Hank Poppe Walter Tschinkel Marco Narajos H.M. Andrew Joan Klivans Stephanie Dole Kevin Sholar J Schumacher Lily, Vinny, Izzy Altschuler Eric Marsh Jamie Edwards Elia Gourguechon-Buot Kristy Folsom Laurel Przybylski 吳怡彰 Kevin William Walker Oliver Wakeling Jessica Hiraoka Laurel Przybylski Jeremiah Sullivan Mehdi Salarkia Mark Jobes Carrie Mukaida Cristen Rasmussen Wade Tregaskis Burt Humburg Noreen Herrington Roberta K Wright Brigitte Xia Louis O'Neill Jellyman Titania Juang El Samuels Laurel Przybylski Companion Cube Chris B Emrick Kristine Wee Karen Reynolds Sue Ellen McCann David Deshpande Daisuke Goto Elizabeth Ann Ditz Levi Cai ---+ Follow Deep Look and KQED Science on social: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deeplookofficial Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deeplook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqedscience/ Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS member station in San Francisco, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios and the members of KQED. #skipperbutterfly #deeplook