"How will I ever find the camouflaged animals?" I asked
I have to give credit for this photo to my cat. We occasionally take him outside on a leash, and he lead me right over to this tree. I bumped my head against a branch, and that's when I noticed this little caterpillar. As Matt and I were gathering photos for this month's theme, I kept thinking to myself, "if these animals are camouflaged, how will I ever see them to take a photo?!" Fortunately nature revealed its hidden self to me for three photos this month, including this one.
What do eastern tent caterpillars look like?
Pictured here is an eastern tent caterpillar, or
Malacosoma americanum. This caterpillar oftentimes has a black head, but in my case, I found one with a red head. These caterpillars are hairy, and have varying colors of black, blue, white, and orange. The blue and white colors come from microtubules that selectively filter light.
Where are these caterpillars found?
Eastern tent caterpillars are native to North America. They can be found primarily in the eastern half of the United States from Main to Florida and as far west as Utah. They are also found in some southern parts of Canada.
What do tent caterpillars eat?
These caterpillars can be found foraging in the trees. They are a communal species that form nests together. This community spirit helps them all to find the best food. When one of the tent caterpillars finds a new food source, they will leave a silky trail that the other caterpillars will follow. This ensures that the whole community is well fed.
These caterpillars are communal, and will form nests.
More Fun Facts!
- Tent caterpillars are toxic to horses.
- They are among the most social larvae.
- The egg masses they produce typically number between 200 and 300.
- They are often misnomered as bagworms.
0 Comments