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HornwormsHi, what type of caterpillar is this?
Hi, I live in Brooklyn, NY and found this around my front lawn. It was quite hefty – probably 3-4 inches, with a beautiful color. What is it? Thanks,
Mark
(GREAT website, by the way)
Hi Mark,
This is a Sphinx Moth Caterpillar, and we suspect it might be a Great Ash Sphinx or Northern Ash Sphinx, Sphinx chersis. There are several different color variations. Was this really found in January?
Hi, thanks for your quick response. Sorry for misleading you. The photo was probably taken in late spring or early summer, judging by the pictures of full blooming hydrangeas in my yard that I believe were taken at the same time, especially since the leaves in the picture with the caterpillar were from the hydrangea bush. I had it on my computer for a while, I just stumbled on your website and didn’t see it there -though from the similar ones, I guessed it was some sort of Sphinx moth. Anyway, thanks again!
Ed. Note:
August 30, 2009
In making some classification changes to our archives, we decided to follow up on the hydrangea leaf, and now we believe this is the caterpillar of the Hydrangea Sphinx, Darapsa versicolor. Bill Oehlke’s website indicates: “and the ‘horn’ on the tail also turns downward as pupation draws near.“ This individual appears to have a downward turned horn.
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