Did you know that most of the insects on Earth have yet to be discovered?
Carnegie Museum of Natural History curator John Rawlins is particularly interested in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), and one of his favorite elements of working at the museum is taking part in watching the life history of moths develop as he and his staff rear them from egg cultures.
Recording each step of their metamorphosis is a way to associate an adult moth with its very different-looking caterpillar. There are many life histories unknown in the Lepidoptera, and learning the practice of rearing is important in terms of associating larval and pupal stages with corresponding adults and knowing which plants the caterpillars feed on.
