Subject: Cyclops Caterpillar
Geographic location of the bug: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Date: 07/18/2019
Time: 10:32 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Saw a few of these guys and thought they were wild looking. I have never seen them before. Found them in mid summer.
How you want your letter signed: RyeTye
Dear RyeTye,
We love your name “Cyclops Caterpillar.” This is actually an Abbott’s Sphinx Caterpillar and we have gotten many letters regarding them this season. The Abbott’s Sphinx is a moth in the family Sphingidae, and most caterpillars in the family have a caudal horn, giving rise to the common name Hornworm. Some species like the Abbott’s Sphinx eventually shed the horn, leaving only a caudal bump that resembles an eye.