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.”A post shared by Ricky Odriosola (@rickyodriosola)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.A post shared by Ricky Odriosola (@rickyodriosola)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.A post shared by Ricky Odriosola (@rickyodriosola)A post shared by Ricky Odriosola (@rickyodriosola)The caterpillars grew and turned into cocoons.
He then captured the moment one of the beautiful butterflies emerged and spread its wings.A post shared by Ricky Odriosola (@rickyodriosola)He released his butterflies … although this one didn’t seem in a hurry to leave “dad”.A post shared by Ricky Odriosola (@rickyodriosola)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.