First Annual Toronto International Caterpillar Film Festival

On Saturday, March 21, 2026, we held the 1st annual Toronto International Caterpillar Film Festival. Ten survey members, a mix of new and veteran, got together to watch a recent documentary called The Extraordinary Caterpillar.

One scene that captivated our group involved ants tending to a Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) caterpillar. This caterpillar uses chemical and mechanical signals to attract ants, at which point the symbiotic relationship begins: the ants protect the larva from predators in exchange for the opportunity to feed on the caterpillar’s “honeydew”. Last year, one of our survey members witnessed this very same interaction between an Eastern Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) caterpillar and a handful of ants in High Park, showing that fascinating interactions such as this happen 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 and videos, 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.

Watching this documentary, followed by a group discussion, was just the inspiration we needed while we patiently await the start of the 2026 season.

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