Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

GYPSY MOTH CATERPILLARS

By on March 19, 2013

The Gypsy moth caterpillar is a garden pest that resembles the looks of a cacti.The close-up images shows the over all external features that it has needle-like spines and brisly hair-like spines too. Although many species of worms has hair that looks like spines,the hair is soft and considerably smooth to touch. This is to protect them from predators.Great numbers of gypsy moth caterpillars in the garden is a total damage to the leaves of plants and trees. I found these caterpillars eating the leaf of an atis tree(a fruit tree), peppers the leaves leaving the with big holes and sometimes, consumming everything leaving only skeleton of a leaf.

(Clock on images to view larger)

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This is the most stunning and stylish worms I’ve ever seen. The short hairdo at the top is delightfully a hairstyle.The appearance of the greenish body is just like a branching ribs.

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Appearing on this image above, the Gypsy moth caterpillar’s body has a radial and needle-like spines which is soft.

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Looks like a real cacti.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Green Caterpillar

By on February 23, 2012

Oh! It’s a fuzzy worms I found in my garden. It’s a beautiful caterpillars! These caterpillars has the same pattern and color, banded with brightly green yellowish white stripes and dotted black. They have blue eyes and red thoracic legs.I found them crawling and balancing on the same stem of the host plant. They have the same color with the host plant. It seems there’s no give and take as they blocked each others way climbing on top.

Days ago,  I’ve seen both of them swinging and hanging on the surface of small leaf. I remember they were still tiny and light at that time, even a small leaf can accommodate both of them. How wonderful to see immediate changes,they become bigger,fatter and heavier that a small leaf can’t hold anymore.This day is the most disgusting and destructive stage. I hate to see what they are doing now.They spend all time eating non-stop. They ate all the leaves of the host plant. While photographing them, I’ve counted no. of leaves eaten by them,they ate 7 small leaves. What an appetite!

I will continue observing them everyday,checking and following their path so I can get full details of  everyday changes. I’m not going to capture them, I’ll just set them free so they can move around freely. It takes time, 2 weeks maybe, I will note counting no. of days it takes caterpillar to become a real butterfly.The most interesting part, is to see  what happen in the life cycle of a real insect.I’m excited to see changes , Let’s see!  I will wait for the caterpillars to become a pupa,and out of pupa, It will become a real insect. I will wait for these caterpillars to become a beautiful butterfly!

I will give you a follow-up of these soon. I’m still  in the process of gathering full details. I will welcome all comments. Thank you my dear readers.

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