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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Facts Worms Generally

Branch-like Caterpillar in Cottonwood is an Ilia Underwing Moth Caterpillar

“Can you help me identify what type of caterpillar this is?” asks Suzanne in her submission regarding the caterpillar pictured below. “I live in Fredericksburg, Virginia. And it was resting in a cottonwood tree. It measured about five inches long. Thank you!” Firstly, we have to compliment Suzanne on the gorgeous photo. The lighting, colors and detail are just incredible, and are very helpful to us in identifying this creature. Suzanne is absolutely right in identifying this as a caterpillar. Specifically, it is an ilia underwing moth caterpillar. Underwing moths are a genus of moth that is characterized by their colorful under wings which contrast the otherwise neutral or bland colors on their top wings.

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Posted in Caterpillars Garden Worms Worms Generally

Grandmother and Grandchildren Discover Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar

‘My grandchildren and I found a tiger swallowtail caterpillar in Wilson, NC” says this reader in her submission to us. As we can see in the photo below, this caterpillar is an olive green color, with speckles of light green and white adorning its body, and it has a large head with two eye spots with a black stripe underneath.

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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Unidentified, 1/2-inch Caterpillar Finds its Way Into A Glass of Water

A 1/2-inch worm was found in a glass of water by this man in Albuquerque, NM. From the excellent images sent in, we can see that the worm in question is of a grayish/tan color, is segmented, has six forelegs, eight back legs, and a bulbous black head.

fuzzy brown caterpillar
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Posted in Caterpillars

Fuzzy, Brown Caterpillars

We received a question from a reader earlier today about a fuzzy, brown caterpillar that her daughter found in the yard. She actually referred to the brown and fuzzy creature as a “worm,” but we are virtually certain she found a caterpillar, so we’ll simply use “caterpillar” in place of the reader’s “worm” as we move forward. The reader was first of all wondering what the brown and fuzzy caterpillar is, and she also wanted to know if it is dangerous or harmful in any way. Thus, we have a two-part question to address: what kind of caterpillars are fuzzy and brown, and are these caterpillars dangerous?

Posted in Caterpillars

Green, Brown Caterpillars with “Eyes”

We received a question from a reader about a very strange-looking creature she found on her driveway. Although we aren’t completely certain, it looks like a caterpillar; in any event, it looks more like a caterpillar than any other creature, and besides that, we’re pretty sure it’s a caterpillar anyway, to be as convoluted about our relative certainty as possible. The caterpillar is brown and green – more precisely, it is a mix of brown and green, which almost makes the caterpillar look like it is covered in moss. The caterpillar also has two large “eyes” (in fact, they are eyespots, which are faux eyes), and near these “eyes” is a yellow line or stripe that appears to wrap around the creature. The reader was quite alarmed by her find, writing to us “WHAT IS THIS?!?!,” and also urgently asking “Can someone HELP”? (Emphasis not added.) The reader also thought she found a caterpillar, but then became uncertain when she examined what she had found up close. What is this brown, green caterpillar she found (if indeed it is caterpillar)?

Posted in Interesting Worms

A Brown Caterpillar with a Big Head

A while back, we received some pictures of a very interesting worm (or what the reader called a “worm”) from a reader. We’ve been eager to look into the creature because its appearance is so unique: the “worm” is brown with a big head (or rather a huge head), and on this large head are two dots that look like eyes. The reader asked what kind of worm he had found, but we don’t think he found a worm. It looks more like a caterpillar, albeit a very strange looking caterpillar, one that we have never seen before. So the question is: what kind of brown caterpillar did our reader find?

Posted in Interesting Worms

Caterpillars with Large “Eyes”

We recently received a couple of great photos of a brown caterpillar (or rather a brownish, tan caterpillar) from a reader. The reader correctly assumed he had found a caterpillar (as opposed to a worm, which is what many people who find caterpillars assume them to be), and he was wondering what kind of caterpillar he might have found. It has dark stripes on its body and what appear to be large eyes. We can’t be sure how big it is because there is no scale in the picture other than a leaf (which we also don’t know the size of), but we would guess it’s around an inch or so in length (most caterpillars are around this size). So, what is this brown, striped caterpillar?