silkworm

Everyday

A silkworm is the caterpillar of the silk moth, which spins a cocoon of fine silk thread; people use this thread to make silk cloth. tree →

In the lessons

In science and history lessons silkworms show life cycles (egg, caterpillar, cocoon/pupa, moth) and the story of silk: it was first made in ancient China, which kept the secret for a long time, and silk was traded along the Silk Road. Silkworms eat only mulberry leaves. One cocoon can be made of a single thread up to about 1 km long. To get the silk, the cocoons are usually boiled, which kills the pupa — some people prefer «peace silk». Phrases: «silkworm cocoon», «mulberry leaves», «the Silk Road».

Examples

• Silkworms eat only mulberry leaves. tree →
• The silkworm spun a white cocoon around itself. tree →
• Silk cloth is made from the thread of silkworms. tree →
• Ancient China kept silkworms secret for centuries. tree →
• Our class watched silkworms turn into moths. tree →
• A single silkworm cocoon is made of one very long thread. tree →
• Silkworm moths cannot fly. tree →

Note

Plural «silkworms». Trap: a silkworm is not a worm; it is a caterpillar (an insect larva). Silk moths have been kept by people for so long that they can no longer live in the wild.