Lifecycle pictures 


The series below contains photos of the lifecycle of the silkworm.  Each photo is around 150K in size, so they may take a while to load over a dialup connection, but should load fairly quickly on broadband.  Click on the thumbnail or title to see the larger picture.  These photos are courtesy of Manyee Desandies, a third grade teacher at Alvarado Elementary School, in Union City, California.

1.  Silkworm cycle overview

2.  Large silkworms eating leaves

3.  Body parts of a silkworm

4.  Silkworm eating mulberry leaves

5.  Closeup of the body of a silkworm

6.  Another closeup view of a silkworm

7. The vein along the back of the silkworm

8. Silkworm resting before molting
9. Another view of the silkworm resting before molting 10. Silkworm starting to spin a cocoon 11. Cocoon begins to form 12. Silkworm makes messy poop
13. Spinning the cocoon 14. Finished cocoon 15. Inside the finished cocoon 16. Another view inside the cocoon
17. Yet another inside view of the cocoon 18. Moth starting to emerge from the cocoon 19.  Moth half out of the cocoon 20. Empty cocoon after the moth has emerged
21.  Empty cocoon showing "pee" stain 22.  Adult standing on the empty cocoon 23.  Newly-emerged adult with crumpled wing 24.  Adult moth next to empty cocoon
25. Adult and eggs resting on egg carton 26.  Adult with diagram showing body parts 27. Another view of the adult moth 28.  Male moth fluttering wings
29.  Adult female moth resting 30.  Moths mating while sitting on cocoon 31.  Closeup of moths mating 32. Female moths with eggs on egg carton
33. Lots of brown eggs that will hatch soon 34. Closeup of eggs laid on egg carton 35.  Shed skins from worms and pupa 36. Loose silk pulled from outside of cocoon