caterpillar ID
Location: MEXICO, YUCATAN, Chichén Itzá
November 7, 2011 8:36 am
Hi bugman, a friend who is staying in the Yucatan, Mexico sent me a picture of a caterpillar he would like IDed for his weekly newsletter, I’ve searched everywhere I can think of for an ID, including your website, but haven’t been able to find not even a clue. He says: ”It’s a hornworm but its horn is just a stub. I suspect it’s been bitten off by something and once was a regular hornworm horn.”
I hope you can help!
Thanks for any you help you can provide!
Signature: Bea

Mexican Caterpillar might be Owlet Caterpillar

Dear Bea,
We disagree that this is a Hornworm.  It looks to us like an Owlet Moth Caterpillar in the family Noctuidae and it has markings similar to species in the genus Cuculia known as the Hooded Owlet Moths, many of which are very brightly colored.  See BugGuide for some North American examples.

0   I like This

Hitched arches moth caterpillar
Location: Shenandoah National Park, Front Royal, Va
September 26, 2011 9:07 pm
Hello, bugman:
My husband and I wanted to share this picture of a very beautiful caterpillar that we found feeding on goldenrod yesterday in Shenandoah National Park. We were able to identify it as the hitched arches moth caterpillar through the BugGuide. We have never seen anything like it.
Signature: Peggy

Hitched Arches Caterpillar

Hi Peggy,
With the onset of autumn, our mailbox is filling with caterpillar identification requests and spider identification requests.  Thanks so much for taking the time to self identify your Hitched Arches Caterpillar, Melanchra adjuncta, and also for taking the time to email the photo to our website.  BugGuide is an awesome source for insect identifications.

manitoba caterpillar with 3 possible ids, and a wonderful evening of butterflies
September 12, 2011
Hello there.  Here’s a pic of a long and skinny little guy/gal which we found in abundance during last Saturday, in the area of Oak Hammock Marsh – a wildlife preserve/marsh habitat near Winnipeg in Manitoba.  Along the narrow trail we’d encounter one or two crossing the way every metre or so (and boy are they quick) – we had to walk very carefully.
Incidently, the butterflies we encountered in the same area were exclusively white, with and without spots (not sure which variety) with a sprinkling of sulphurs.  All were around 1-1.5 inch in width.  It was a warm and breezy evening, almost sunset, and the flutter of their little wings tickled us as we disturbed them from the yellow and purple clovers still blooming on the trail.  There were thousands and, like we were in some dream, we lifted our arms up to touch them – it was heavenly….
Therefore, I also send a pic of the trail we were on.  You can see the butterflies – though none of my pictures from that day really do the abundance any justice….
My caterpillar ID tries came to 3 possibles:
Anthocharis midea
Cucullia alfarata
Trichordestra legitima
…..I’m not sure it’s any of these because they all lack the pattern between the stripes.
Another caterpillar breeding in this area regularly and on the same trail that day was the woolly bear – the one with the red/brown band in the middle.  But, it was tiny and we saw only one. (can you tell us what the 2 red things are in the front of it’s face?)
Thank you kindly bug guys,
-M.M.

Zebra Caterpillar

Dear M.M.,
We can’t imagine how long you spent online to get three species that are similar looking, but not exact matches to your Zebra Caterpillar, Melanchra picta, which we initially posted nearly a year ago.  According to BugGuide:  “larvae feed on alfalfa, cabbage, carrot, clover, dandelion, dock (Rumex spp.), pea, pigweed (Amaranthus spp.), strawberry, sweetfern, blackberry, blueberry, hazel, apple, birch, cherry, plum, willow.”  That is a lovely meadow for butterflies.  The blossoms are not very showy, but they are just the type of flowers that butterflies are really attracted to for nectaring.

Meadow with Butterflies

Thank you – seemingly now the answer is everywhere….duh!  I guess I’m not the only one up at night looking up bugs…  Obviously my research needs some work.
Thank you kindly, it’s always good to have that ID, even if it’s something obvious to others.  I kept saying to myself – “it looks like a zebra…..”
Yes, the marsh and trails were wonderful, though the marsh has really dried up to 2/3rd’s it’s size due to the constant heat and little rain we’ve been having.  Alot of it is now just a bog, and the birds are standing in the little water that is left.  But, I’m sure that will change as we usually get some good rain in the fall here.
The Tiger Moth I had already knew from previous “successful” research, but the red things must be mites…
-M.M.

Isabella Tiger Moth Caterpillar

Hi again MM,
WE aren’t certain what is on the Woolly Bear of the Isabella Tiger Moth.  Perhaps they are mites, but we are more inclined to think they might be the pupae of some parasite.

Helicoverpa zea
Location: New Jersey
July 31, 2011 8:14 pm
Hi buggy peeps!
I love your site and often rely on it to ID bugs for myself or friends.
Earlier today, I found a lovely caterpillar in the garden on one of my tomato plants. Thinking it was a butterfly, I took a few photos and rehomed it in one of our flower gardens. When I came inside, I showed the photo to friends who were alarmed that I had rescued a ”tomato worm.”
I ran outside, and promptly fed it to one of my chickens (who quite enjoyed it.) I know that you don’t endorse extermination, but perhaps this was ok because it was the ”circle of life?”
I came inside and searched online for tomato worms. It lead me to photos of green horned worms. Further searching lead me to Helicoverpa zea, which is considered a corn worm and not tomato worm.
I have two questions for you:
How did it get in my garden? We are not growing corn this year.
Is it ok for my chicken to eat this creature? I found out later that you should not feed the green tomato worms to chickens, so I got nervous about the corn worm.
Ok…I lied. Two more questions: Why is it called a worm at all? Isn’t it a caterpillar? I didn’t think caterpillars were considered worms? And… how do all of these agricultural type insects come to exist in veggie gardens? Are they always present in our yard and multiply in the right situation, or do they hitch a ride on other plants that may be brought in? The majority of our garden was started from seed here at the house.
Thanks so much for your time in reading this and the response if you are able to make one. I know you are very busy!
Hope you’re enjoying your summer as much as we are!
Signature: Annie

Corn Earworm or Cutworm???

Hi Annie,
Thanks for your lengthy and amusing query.  We believe you are correct that this is a Corn Earworm.  It fits the description provided on the University of Florida Entomology Departments Featured Creatures website which indicates:  “The larva is variable in color. Overall, the head tends to be orange or light brown with a white net-like pattern, the thoracic plates black, and the body brown, green, pink, or sometimes yellow or mostly black. The larva usually bears a broad dark band laterally above the spiracles, and a light yellow to white band below the spiracles. A pair of narrow dark stripes often occurs along the center of the back. Close examination reveals that the body bears numerous black thorn-like microspines. These spines give the body a rough feel when touched. “  Images on BugGuide show some of the variability.  Despite its name, the Corn Earworm feeds on numerous garden crops, leading to other common names.  According to BugGuide, the Corn Earworm is also called a Tomato Fruitworm, Bollworm, Sorghum headworm and Vetchworm, and this is explained thus:  “As its common names suggest, larvae feed on a wide range of hosts, including many field crops, hence this species has been much studied.”  Since the caterpillar is the larval form of a moth that flies, adults gain entry to gardens on the wing and the caterpillars do not have to be introduced on plants. While we have heard that chickens will not eat Tomato Hornworms because of the taste, they will eat a multitude of other insects, and to the best of our knowledge, the Corn Earworm is not toxic to them.  You did some copious research before submitting your questions, and you even took the time to learn the scientific binomial name Helicoverpa zea, which is the only true name that should be used to describe your insect.  Common names, though they are often quite catchy, would confuse scientists, especially those from linguistically diverse cultures.  The language of popular culture does not follow the strict scientific guidelines for names.  Caterpillars are wormlike, and the layperson would tend to use names that are descriptive and easy to remember, hence the name Corn Earworm to describe the caterpillar that will crawl into the ripening ear of corn to feed on the kernels.