A caterpillar that curls into a “C”-shape when disturbed is probably a “c”utworm. Cutworm larvae tend to overwinter in the soil as caterpillars (larvae).
Although it is not very pretty, you can see the suckers of the prolegs. Prolegs are the fleshy, leglike appendages found on the abdomen of caterpillars.
This caterpillar will come out of the soil to feed on new seedlings in the spring. Once it is full grown, it will pupate and then turn into a drab grayish-brown moth. You probably won’t see the moth because it flies at night.
Once it uncurls, the caterpillar gallops off to safety.
These were peeled from a red grape purchased at the grocery store.
These days many of the grapes in the store are seedless. How are seedless grapes grown and can you grow grapes from seeds?
Seedless grapes and many other varieties of grapes are grown these days by planting cuttings. Each year the vines are trimmed back so they will produce more fruit. The pieces of vine can be used for cuttings to start new vines.
It is possible, however, to grow grapes from seeds. There are several species of grapes that aren’t in commercial production and grow naturally from seeds. (See more about growing grapes from seeds in the experiment section below).
One species of wild grape found in the Southwest is the canyon grape, Vitus arizonica.
The fruit of the canyon grape (Photograph by Stan Shebs from Wikimedia)
Other wild grapes include Vitis californica, Vitis cinerea var. helleri and Vitis girdiana.
Grapes of various species are grown throughout the world for fruit (table grapes), raisins, juice and wine.
Even the leaves are used for wrappers for cooking food in.
This gnarly grape was growing at a winery in the Napa Valley of California. As a vine, usually grapes are grown with some sort of support, but these trunks were so large on these that they no longer needed wires or posts to stand up.
Ready for some science using grapes?
Here are some ideas and links to get you started.
1. First of all, how do you grow grapes from seeds?
Like many other plants, grapes require a cold period before they will germinate. Most websites suggest putting the seeds in a baggy in the fridge for at least 30 days. Also, the rate of germination is often not very high, so start with a lot of seeds.
Drop raisins into a carbonated beverage, and see what happens.
This video shows the results, but has some flaws. First of all “lemonade” is actually a lemon-based soda. Any carbonated beverage would work, but clear lets you see the raisins better. Also, the raisins are not changing buoyancy, but are acting as an place for the carbon dioxide bubbles to aggregate, rise and release.
