Mothra

Meet Smerinthus cerisyi - the one-eyed sphinx moth.

It’s a common species in our neck of the woods.  The caterpillars are associated with certain fruit trees (like plum, pear, etc.) and other native trees like poplars and willows.

 

For certain I figured this critter for a sphinx moth but I couldn't figure out precisely which one from my field guides.  

 

 

Thanks Patrick (PJ) Liesch, UW-Madison Department of Entomology Insect Diagnostic Lab for the ID.

 

Don't Touch!

Meet Acronicta americana – the American Dagger Caterpillar. 

A native to North America these fuzzy yellow caterpillars with black 'eyelash' spikes grow to about 2” (50 mm) long. 

The American dagger moth caterpillar doesn't sting like a wasp. Those black hairs break off in the skin and the toxins they contain sting. The reaction that follows can cause hives, welts, or dermatitis.  

Handling this insect larva will mess you up with a really bad rash.

This is a good lesson for children to look it up before you pick it up.

Who Else Eats Milkweed?

Just in case you were operating under the assumption that the only thing that eats milkweed is the monarch butterfly caterpillar there is this. 

click on images for a closer look

 

Gross - eh?

Meet Euchaetes egle - the milkweed tussock caterpillar or milkweed tiger moth.  I found a swarm of these voraciously feasting-upon a milkweed plant literally skeletonizing it as they chomped their way along. 











Belonging to the family Erebidae this is a common mid-summer caterpillar that feeds-upon milkweed and dogbane.  Like most other critters that dine on milkweed the cardiac glycosides concentrate in their bodies endowing them with a chemical defense against predators.   While the caterpillars of this tiger moth are adorned with a vivid orange and black (like the monarch butterfly) birds learn to avoid the larva. 

However, the adult is a drab brown moth lacking any coloration signaling its toxicity.   As a consequence the adult moth has evolved an organ that emits an ultrasonic signal easily detected by bats.   Who quickly learn to avoid the tiger moth as a meal.

photo - Wikipedia

From the Butterfly Ranch

 click on image to enlarge

Meet Euchaetes egle -  the milkweed tussock moth  or milkweed tiger moth.  This photo was taken the other day on the butterfly ranch of a late-instar caterpillar.  This insect is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweed plants and just like the monarch butterfly it acquires a chemical defense from feeding on this plant.  The cardiac glycosides are retained in adults and possibly deter bats from feeding upon them.

The larva in the photo is far more striking in appearance than the adult moth which is rather plain and ordinary in appearance.