Caterpillar ID
Location: Tampa, FL
November 4, 2011 3:34 pm
We are located in Tampa, FL. My neighbor found a tree full of these yellow w/ black stripes caterpillars.
Any ideas? What will they turn into?
Signature: Thanks, Heidi
Cloudless Sulfur Caterpillar, possibly
Hi Heidi,
We believe we have correctly identified your caterpillar as that of a Cloudless Sulfur butterfly, Phoebis sennae, though the resolution on your photo prohibits definitive identification. If you can provide the name of the tree or a description of the tree, it might help to confirm our identification. The caterpillars of the Cloudless Sulfur feed on the leaves and blossoms of Cassia and related trees. These trees generally have showy yellow flowers. Here is a photo on Bugguide of a Cloudless Sulfur caterpillar on the food plant.
Giant Swallowtail caterpillar in Louisiana
Location: Louisiana
October 31, 2011 1:13 pm
Hello WTB! Love your site. Attached is a couple pictures of what I believe to be a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar. I hope you can find use for it.
Signature: Simon Mahan
Orange Dog
Hi Simon,
The larvae of Giant Swallowtails are commonly called Orange Dogs because they feed on the leaves of citrus trees, including orange trees. Your caterpillar is an early instar, meaning is still will undergo several molts before transforming into a chrysalis. Giant Swallowtail Caterpillars are easily overlooked by predators because they resemble bird droppings.
Thank you! And yes, it was on an orange tree =-)
-Simon
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I do not know what this is
Location: DeKalb Illinois
October 30, 2011 10:51 pm
I was sitting at a table outside on my schools campus when I looked down at my arm and this thing was climbing up my arm. I have no idea what it is and cannot find any sort of description of it.
Signature: Desmond Wafers
White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Desmond,
This caterpillar is a White Marked Tussock Moth or Rusty Vapor Moth, Orgyia leucostigma. The caterpillars from this genus are quite distinctive and they should be handled with care. According to BugGuide: “CAUTION: Contact with hairs may cause an allergic reaction.”
One eyed caterpillar
Location: Fort Myers Florida
October 30, 2011 4:58 pm
Hi,
I found this caterpillar after I carried some dead Plumeria branches out to the trash. I think it had been hiding in the branches for cover because it had a similar color. I live in Fort Myers. The caterpillar appears to be about ready to pupate. There are Live Oaks in the area and lots of bromeliads & other plants.
Signature: Thanks, Carol Schumann
Ello Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Carol,
Your caterpillar is an Ello Sphinx Caterpillar, Erinnyis ello, and the eye is actually a marking known as an ocellus or false eyespot that is a defense mechanism to protect many insects against predators that might mistake a tasty morsel for an even larger predator. Fully developed Ello Sphinx Caterpillars lose the caudal horn, so your individual is probably still not ready to pupate. This is a highly variable caterpillar, and you can see some of the variations on the Sphingidae of the Americas website. We have been unable to determine if the Ello Sphinx Caterpillars are known to feed on plumeria. BugGuide lists food plants as: “Recorded feeding on members of the following plant families: Caricaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae.”
I was so thrilled to find this caterpillar! We have all of those plant families in our yard! I have seen the moth drawn to the front porch by the night light. This is the first time I have seen the caterpillar!
Thank you for the identification. It is greatly appreciated! 
Caterpillar found in Costa Blanca area of Spain
Location: San Miguel de Salinas, 03193 Alicante, Spain
October 29, 2011 6:25 am
The attached picture is of a caterpillar (approx 8-9cm in length) which was found in the garden of our villa near San Miguel de Salinas in Spain (Postcode 03193 Alicante).
I had thought it was dead when I first picked it up in gloved hand but after a short while it curled round my finger and so I released it back onto the ground near where I had found it.
Signature: Dear Ian
Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Hi Dear Ian,
Because of the pattern on the thorax of the adult moth, this species, Acherontia atropos, is commonly called the Death’s Head Hawkmoth and it was used to advertise the movie Silence of the Lambs. The caterpillar feeds upon “Trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, mainly in the Solanaceae, Bignoniaceae, Verbenaceae and Oleaceae” according to the Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website.
What are these!?
Location: Branson, MO
October 24, 2011 2:09 am
Hey, was on a hike with the fam in Branson, MO and I found these caterpillar worm looking things all over this leaf. Here’s a couple photos for ya. Hopefully you can identify them for me.
Signature: Carson
Buckmoth Caterpillars
Hi Carson,
These sure look to us like Buckmoth Caterpillars, possibly Hemileuca maia based on this BugGuidephoto. Your email did not indicate if this is a recent sighting. We suspect it was earlier in the season. Please clarify. Was the tree an oak?
Buckmoth Caterpillars
1
CATAPILLER
Location: TEXARKANA TEXAS
October 24, 2011 5:08 pm
FOUND THIS GUY MID DAY OCTOVER 23 2011. HE WAS CLINGING TO AN ABANDONED WASP NEST. I PLACED IT IN A JAR WITH SOME LOCAL VEGITATION AND WITHIN 6-12 HOURS IT HAD WOVEN A BROWN FIBOURS CACOON. I HAVE FOUND IMAGES SIMILAR TO IT BUT ALL THEM WERE OF GREEN CATAPILLARS
Signature: ERIC BATES
Pre-Pupal Luna Moth Caterpillar
Hi Eric,
Many caterpillars change from green to orange, brown or even pink just prior to pupation. This is a Pre-Pupal Luna Moth Caterpillar. Here is a similar photo from BugGuide. In the spring it will emerge into an adult Luna Moth, a beautiful pale green moth with long tails.
Strange caterpillar or what?
Location: Ellicott City, MD
October 20, 2011 9:19 pm
I’ve tried to look through your photos of caterpillars to identify this one. We took this picture this past August while hiking at a local state park, next to the river. I can’t seem to look through very many of your pictures because they creep me out, much like this one did! It is neat at the same time though and I would like to find out what it really is. It was pretty large as you can see, next to my 7 year old’s shoe. We didn’t want to get too close as it was moving across the rock. Thanks for any information you can give me!
Signature: Tracey
Hickory Horned Devil
Dear Tracey,
You had the good fortune to observe the largest caterpillar in North America, the Hickory Horned Devil. Though your sighting is two months old, we have decided to post it anyways since the last Hickory Horned Devil sightings might still occur, though most of our sightings are in August and September. We did not receive as many sightings this past year as we have previously.
Hickory Horned Devil
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