First Annual Toronto International Caterpillar Film Festival

On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the first annual Toronto International Caterpillar Film Festival was held. Ten survey members, a mix of new and veteran, got together to watch The Extraordinary Caterpillar.

One scene that captivated our group involved ants tending to a singing Silvery Blue caterpillar to gain access to the caterpillar’s “honeydew”. One of the survey’s members has witnessed this exact behavior in High Park with an Eastern Tailed-blue caterpillar and a few ants, proving this fascinating interaction happens right under our noses in an urban park. Watching the relationship between these two families of insects gave us one of the film’s greatest insights: there’s always more to learn.

Throughout the film, we were dazzled by Sam Jaffe’s photography, which showcased incredible caterpillar subjects in stunning detail. By the end, we better understood the beauty and ecological importance of caterpillars — and realized we all want to visit The Caterpillar Lab.

This documentary, along with some discussion, was just the inspiration we needed to start the 2026 season.

If you are in Canada, you can watch the entire documentary for free here.