A film team from the BBC Natural History Unit is in Keene for 14 days this month working on a program about the stages of life in animals. “It’s a bit like Trials of Life that came out 20 years ago,” said Nick Easton, of the BBC team. “It will be in six parts and, since this is a coproduction between the BBC and the Discovery Channel, it will air here in the US and in England.” The program doesn’t have a name yet, but should air in 2014. The film team is focusing on caterpillars as part of its representation of the early stage of life. Whereas the parents of most animals nurture and protect them when they’re young, caterpillars have to fend for themselves. Therefore, they’ve developed some very clever ways of survival.

The BBC team chose to film in Keene because New Hampshire is a unique pocket of caterpillar diversity, and because caterpillar authority Sam Jaffe lives here. He runs The Caterpillar Lab and has developed an educational program that he takes on tour. Easton and his crew chose to stay on campus because, since the students were gone, they could rent the whole of the house at 27 Appleton to set up their elaborate studio to film caterpillars. They’re also taking advantage of New Hampshire’s wealth of caterpillars and filming in the field.