Did you know that caterpillars build different constructs out of leaves, silk, and plant material? Caterpillars build shelters and other constructs that may allow them to defend themselves against predators and parasitoids or protect them from the environment. We are collecting and analyzing caterpillar construct-building across the globe. Many times when caterpillar pictures are taken, their constructs (especially shelters) are destroyed in the process. Our goal here is to catalog the constructs too!
The rules:

1. Photograph the construct first! This will help preserve the possible construct and give information on what the caterpillar used to make it. If the caterpillar is inside something, take pictures of the construct before you open it to photograph the caterpillar.
2. There are many types of caterpillar constructs: silk tents and webs, frass chains/piers, leaf shelters, etc. Try your best to identify what it is based on the materials and structure.
3. Not sure if it has a shelter? That’s okay, upload a photo anyway! Many caterpillar descriptions don’t say anything about whether or not they build shelters, so we also want to confirm which species do not build shelters.
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