More Catapillars
Location: Houston, Texas
March 21, 2011 9:59 pm
These pictures were taken October 23 2010. The catapillar I’m most curious about is the tan one in all three pictures. Me and my sister thought it was super cute. The other catapillar in the third image is less cute and really familiar looking, I think because I’ve seen that type of catapillar a lot growing up. What kind of catapillar is that little tan one? If it’s easy to identify, what is that yellow striped one?
Signature: Thanks a lot, Kelly Bufkin
Asp
Hi Kelly,
Your tan caterpillar is a Puss Caterpillar or Asp, the larva of the Southern Flannel Moth, Megalopyge opercularis. Handle the Asp with care as it is a stinging caterpillar. The yellow striped caterpillar appears to be one of the Prominent Caterpillars, possibly Datana contracta based on images posted to BugGuide.
Prominent Caterpillar meets Asp
¶ Posted 22 March 2011 § Asps ‡ ° what is this?
Location: Sacramento, CA
November 9, 2010 12:01 am
Hello there,
Three of these caterpillar/larva are on my deck. I have never seen anything like them before. I took the picture. Also, what is that reddish orange part that isn’t the head? Hope you can help.
Signature: MaryLynn
Red Humped Caterpillar
Dear MaryLynn,
Knowing where to begin a search is often very helpful. We thought your caterpillar resembled a Prominent Moth Caterpillar in the family Notodontidae, and we were quickly rewarded while searching BugGuide with the Red Humped Caterpillar, Schizura concinna, a species found coast to coast in North America. The “reddish orange part that is not the head” is the hump, though we cannot say for certain what its purpose is.
Wow! You guys are sure prompt. Many thanks, Daniel.
ML
¶ Posted 09 November 2010 § ‡ ° caterpillar
Location: northeast Pennsylvania
August 26, 2010 5:00 pm
I’m looking for the identity of these caterpillars. They were feeding on a blueberry bush. They fed in bunches at the end of a branch and raised their head and tail when disturbed. Seen in mid- August.
Angela H.
Drexel's Datana Caterpillars
Dear Angela,
The defensive posture you have described and photographed is consistent with the Prominent Caterpillars in the genus Datana, and the food plant and the coloration indicate that your specimens are Drexel’s Datana, Datana drexelii, which is described on BugGuide.
Thank you!! I’ve been trying to find out what tese are ever since I first saw them! I really appreciate your help.
¶ Posted 27 August 2010 § ‡ ° Caterpillars
May 2, 2010
My niece found these in her garden and I would like to know what kind of caterpillars they are and if they are harmful.
Amy
Miami, Florida
Handfull of (possibly) Azalea Caterpillars
Hi Amy,
These look like they might be Azalea Caterpillars, Datana major, but it is impossible to tell from this photo which obscures many details. It would also be helpful to know what plant they were found eating upon. According to BugGuide, “larvae present July to October” and “larvae feed mainly on leaves of azalea (Rhododendron spp.) but have also been recorded on apple, blueberry, Red Oak, and Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifoloa).“ Would it be possible to get a more detailed image and/or information on the plant they were eating?
¶ Posted 03 May 2010 § ‡ ° black and white stripped caterpillar
December 24, 2009
I found these acrobatic caterpillars on my George Tabor Azaleas I believe it was in September. Their black and white stripes were quite different. It was their red head and legs and tail that caught my attention. No major harm was done to my azaleas. Could these be the caterpillars for a zebra swallowtail?
Leslie
Saint Fancisville, La
Azalea Caterpillars
Hi again Leslie,
These are Prominent Moth Caterpillars in the genus Datana. It is probably the Azalea Caterpillar, Datana major, which feeds on Azalea and a few other plants including red oak, apple and blueberry. The species is well represented on BugGuide which indicates: “female lays masses of 80-100 eggs on underside of leaf in late spring or early summer; first instar larvae feed gregariously, skeletonizing leaves of hostplant; older larvae eat entire leaves; usually one generation per year, with partial second generation in the south; overwinters as a pupa in a cell in the soil.“ This posture is typical of caterpillars in the genus Datana.
¶ Posted 24 December 2009 § ‡ ° Caterpillar found in blueberry bushes
September 23, 2009
I found this caterpillar taking a ride on my son’s shirt during an early morning of blueberry picking. I took its picture on my finger to show the size, and then we happily set it back onto a blueberry bush. I can’t find an identification for it. Thank you!
Nichole
Michigan (Ann Arbor area) in the summer (end of August)
Unicorn Caterpillar, or imposter???
Hi Nichole,
Interestingly, we just finished posting another photo of a Unicorn Caterpillar, or False Unicorn Caterpillar from the genus Schizura. Your photo with the translucent talon, we mean fingernail, is awesome.
Unicorn Caterpillar? or False Unicorn Caterpillar??
¶ Posted 24 September 2009 § ‡ ° Caterpillar on Western Redbud
September 21, 2009
Caterpillar on Western Redbud
2 feeding this afternoon in the hot California sun
J serences
Carmichael CA Central Valley
Red Hump Caterpillar
Hi J,
We believe this to be a Red Hump Caterpillar, Schizura concinna, a species of Prominent Moth. The caterpillars, according to BugGuide: “feed on a wide range of woody plants.“
¶ Posted 24 September 2009 § ‡ ° Unicorn Caterpillar
September 23, 2009
Was walking with the 2 year old in the swamp park in Southern Illinois today and found a strange looking caterpillar. Some research has it as a Schizura unicornis (I think…do they eat oak?).
The camouflage was strikingly good from some angles, the green “window” in its mid-section is exactly as translucent as leaves with the sun behind them.
Thought you might like some pictures.
Bert in Illinois
Southern Illinois
Possibly Unicorn Caterpillar
Dear Bert,
BugGuide lists the food plants of the Unicorn Caterpillar as: “alder, apple, Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides), White Birch (Betula papyrifera), elm, hawthorn, hickory, willow“, while the closely related and similar looking Morning Glory Prominent or False Unicorn Caterpillar has its food plants listed as: “leaves of beech, birch, elm, maple, morning-glory, oak, rose, and other woody plants” on BugGuide. We would entertain the possibility that the list of plants for the Unicorn Caterpillar might be incomplete, and that your caterpillar might be either species.
¶ Posted 24 September 2009 § ‡ ° 
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