Luna Moth Caterpillars
MissSherry
16 years ago
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jmcat
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agobernergrrl
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
September Goings On
Comments (7)Sherry, What a spectacular picture! Which cat is it? Your season may be winding down, but it's not over yet. You're a busy lady. Your post makes me homesick. Of course, I don't see the Palamedes in north Alabama (at least I never have yet), but the Luna moths, the Pipevine and Spicebush swallowtails and Gulf Fritillaries are old friends. I'll be back there early next month, and I hope they are all there to greet me. Meanwhile, here in Mexico the butterfly season is just getting started. I'm seeing lots of other butterflies: Tiger Swallowtails, Texan Crescents, Checkered Skippers, Dorantes Longtail Skippers, a beautiful little blue that I haven't identified yet, several species of other skippers, Cloudless and Clouded Sulphurs, Dainty Yellows, Southern Dogfaces, Sleepy Oranges, Queens, Tropical Leafwings, some pretty little black-and-white striped and black-and-yellow striped butterflies, Magnificent Swallowtails (they truly are), a large black with radiating white stripes, Cabbage Whites, Mountain Whites, a couple of early Monarchs, and two days ago I saw the first Mexican Dartwhite of the season. I also saw a huge black swallowtail fly over my head, and I think it was an Eastern Black Swallowtail, because a few days later, I found two cats -- a tiny one on dill and a larger one on fennel. I brought them both inside to feed. Although I think they'll both pupate before I leave here, I probably won't get to see them eclose. But if I'm lucky, I'll have cats on my fennel and parsley and maybe my milkweed when I get home. I have seen several other cats that I cannot identify, including some that stung me yesterday. I've posted pics in the gallery to see if anyone recognizes any of them. geni Here is a link that might be useful: Close encounter with Mexican cats...See Moreluna moth caterpillar
Comments (4)Those are not eggs, but 'cocoons'. Some time ago, the caterpillar was parasitized by a tiny female Braconid wasp. She deposited eggs under the skin of the caterpillar, which hatched into minute (as you can imagine) larvae. These wasp larvae feed on the caterpillar from the inside and when they are ready to pupate (turn from larvae to adult Braconid), they create those little white cocoons on the outside of the caterpillar. Only the Braconid wasp makes those types of cocoons, though there are certainly other parasites of caterpillars out there. You can tell if your caterpillar is a hornworm or not by the little horn on it's back end. If it's a red horn, it is a Tobacco Hornworm, the most commonly seen. If black in color, it's a Tomato Hornworm. The caterpillar of the beautiful Luna moth is big and green but has no 'horn'. Most people are very happy to find a parasitized hornworm on their tomatoes....See MoreIn Case any of You Haven't Seen a Luna Moth Emerge & Transform......
Comments (7)Thanks for the great educational pics Sherry. Lunas are just so beautiful. I'm always amazed where you spot these. I've seen more of them on urban concrete buildings than in wooded areas. Maybe they like the heat from the concrete?...See Morelooking for luna moth help...
Comments (4)Yes, doing a search for "Luna" in that forum will get you lots of input....See Moretodancewithwolves
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