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Posted in Caterpillars Garden Worms Inch Worms

Green Worm on Trousers is an Inchworm

“Found this worm on my trouser, where it looked like it matched the grey color and then it took over my pencil”, writes Abhinav in his submission regarding the curved, green, little critter pictured below. “As soon as it sensed danger, it left a green color liquid and died.” Firstly, we want to thank Abhinav for the great photo; he managed to capture an incredibly tiny creature in such great detail. Secondly, we want to point to our previous description of this worm as “curved”, which is actually a very important characteristic. It is because of the arch of this creature’s body that we immediately identified it as an inchworm.

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Posted in Caterpillars Inch Worms Worms Generally

Cankerworm Caterpillar Inch Worms Taking Over Texas

Recent rains in Texas have brought forth one of our many worm-like friends, the cankerworm caterpillar, and they are invading The Lone Star State by the masses. Cankerworm caterpillars are a species of inchworm, and are the larval form of the hackberry leafroller moth. There is a lot to unpack here. First of all, ‘inchworm’ is a name thrown around a lot in reference to worm-like creatures, and the thing is that the term ‘inchworm’ is almost as broad as its application. The term refers to a whole bunch of moth species that are endemic to the North Americas, and it specifically refers to those moth caterpillars that have legs at the front and rear of their bodies, but not in the middle, forcing them to arch their back as they ‘inch’ across a surface. Secondly, a “leafroller caterpillar” is also an umbrella term, and refers to multiple species of caterpillars which roll the leaves they munch on and hide in them when they need shelter. Lastly, and most importantly, is this newsworthy invasion of caterpillars.

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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Facts Worms Generally

Dark Green Larva-like Creature with Brown Head May Be a Fern Caterpillar

“Recently there’s been lots of little caterpillars crawling around everywhere,” says this reader from Austin, Texas. She is referring to the dark green worm-like creature photographed below, which sports a long body, and a bulbous, brown head.

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Posted in Caterpillars Silk Worms Worms Generally

Bright Yellow-Green Caterpillar on Driveway is a Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar

A “little critter” was found on this reader’s driveway last summer in her small North Texas town. The critter appears to be a bright green color and has a brown face, split down the middle by what we assume to be access to its mouth.

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Posted in Army Worms Garden Worms Pest Worms

Cluster of Eggs in Cotton-Like Webbing are Fall Armyworms

A patch of “cotton-looking structures” were found attached to the brick outside of this reader’s front door. Our reader wonders what “brand of creature” these may be, which appear to be as white in color as the cotton-like webbing they were found in.

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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Facts Worms Generally

Green Worm with Prickles is an Emperor Moth Caterpillar

A green, segmented worm was found by one of our readers this summer, and she wonders what it is. According to our reader, this critter was similar to a tomato worm in its color, texture and possession of a “pincher mouth”, but was much larger, and had “little blue and yellow” knobs patterned along its body with black prickles sprouting from them.

big green caterpillar
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Posted in Caterpillars

Big Green Caterpillars with Body Segments in the Yard

A reader recently wrote to us about a big green caterpillar with distinct body segments, body segments that make the caterpillar look like the Michelin Man, to give our reader’s comparison. He included an excellent picture of the caterpillar he found in his yard with his email, which contained a number of terse, difficult-to-decipher bits of information. From what we can gather, the reader is wondering what the big green caterpillar is, and he is also wondering if it is responsible for some of the lawn problems he has been experiencing. So, we are tasked with identifying the caterpillar and investigating whether this type of caterpillar can do damage to your yard.

Posted in Pest Worms

Green Caterpillars in the Garden

A little while back a reader sent us a photo of a green caterpillar in his garden. He’s found several of the green caterpillars as of late, and he was seeking more information about them. The reader has already done some research and indicated that he thought he found “tomato worms” (based on other information, we can confidently assume he meant “tomato hornworms”, which are actually caterpillars), in large part because the creatures were on his tomato plant. He was most puzzled about the webs they seemed to be spinning for themselves, and he also wondered if the “worms,” once enmeshed in a web, had died. What are these green caterpillars, if they even are caterpillars, and what’s the deal with the webs they are creating?