One-toe-bears - Teddy bears by Marie-Christine Twardy

"Caterpillbear (Macroglossum stellatarum)"
1st September 2009, 146 g, 18 cm (7.09 "), 8 joints

See what I found in the garden, eating the leaves of a pumpkin plant: a "Caterpillbear" of the species Macroglossum stellatarum, also known as the Hummingbird Hawk-moth! He is a little late, because all the other caterpillars have already develloped into butterflies. When I looked a little closer, I discovered, that he has got a wing primordium - he has got small, depauperate wings he can hide or unfold. Consequently, somehow he got stuck in his caterpillar state, never evolving to a butterfly. I decided to take this poor little fellow home, since the nights are getting cold outside. Such a caterpillbear is a really hungry little fellow, I realized. While I prepared some nettle tea for him, he ate quarter of the lettuce, I had bought that day. Well, I think this is the source of the green colour of his fur, which resembles the green of the caterpillar. Additionally, delicate gathers on his chest and his flanks make his fur look like the skin of the caterpillar. His caracteristic pattern (compare his photos with a fellow Hummingbird Hawk-moth caterpillar) has been made with four different Copic Pens, an opaque white dye and a pale yellow silk ribbon. I added a little "horn" to his body, which is a basic feature of the Hawk-moth family. In his case it has an orange tip. His soles, palms of his hands and his face have been partly shaved and needle sculpted. In order to immitate the black, pale yellow and orange striped "feet" of the caterpillar, I stitched his claws and nose like that. His depauperate wings are made of brown felt and can be hidden underneath his fur. To get them out or tuck them back in, a biro (or any pen that will not make stains) may be useful. A pale yellow silk ribbon tied around two small hooks keeps the wings underneath his fur. Finally, "Caterpillbear" has got eight joints (including a double neck joint and movable wrists) and is filled quite firmly with sheeps´ wool and steel pellets, latter give him a nice weight and enable him to stand and sit properly.

"Caterpillbear" spends most of the day eating, maybe he still believes he will develop into a beautiful Hummingbird Hawk-moth one day. His favourite food is lettuce, cabbage and all other kinds of edible green leaves in your kitchen. Furthermore he loves gummi bears, but only the green coloured ones. And he is keen on "After Eight", he likes the combination of that mint cream and dark chocolate. Peppermint tea and nessle tea seem to be his favourite drinks. You might have to remind him to take his time when eating, since he uses to gorge. Sometimes he chokes on a bite. And you may have to pat his back after a big meal to make him burp. But eating is not everything for him, he also needs much love and attention. Who would like to offer him a warm and dry place in her home and find out what else he likes to eat? The winner of our first quiz, of course! She won the option to adopt him in the first place.

So, he will live in Austria, with his new caring mum Nicole. From now on, she will make sure that he gets enough food and love. "Caterpillbear" now moved to Ricky´s in the Netherlands, where he lives luckily whith his brothers and sisters.