The Silk Moth

insects · silk · farming

Silkworms eat mulberry. These hungry caterpillars munch on mulberry leaves all day long, growing bigger and bigger until they're ready to spin their cocoons.

They spin pure silk. When a silkworm is fully grown, it produces a single long thread from its mouth and wraps it around itself thousands of times to make a protective cocoon.

Completely dependent on humans. Unlike their wild cousins, domestic silk moths can't survive without people taking care of them, because humans have bred them that way for thousands of years.

Super valuable for business. Silk moths are one of the most important insects to humans because the silk they produce becomes expensive, beautiful cloth that people around the world have wanted for centuries.

Picky eaters. While silkworms prefer white mulberry leaves, they can eat leaves from other mulberry plants and a few other types of plants if their favorite isn't available.