Every summer we have Imperial Moth caterpillars in the maple tree which is above our concrete back porch. There is nothing pretty about the caterpillar stage:
When stepping out the back door Tom noticed this one crawling near the back door. They obviously loose their grip and fall from the maple onto the porch.
This is the same caterpillar at full length. I picked him up from the porch floor and laid him in the sunlight atop our wooden picnic table.
How do I know when they are in the tree? I have never spotted one among the leaves and yet I surely know when they are there. Here's the clue:
They drop very distinctive ball of manure. Below is a close-up of one of the balls of manure. It is textured with lines ...
So whenever I'm tiptoeing among these tiny balls I know the "worms" are up there munching away.
Click here for a fact sheet from NC State.
I've written about the months twice before, on 09-26-13 and on 07-24-18.
The end result of all of this is shown below:
Credit: University of Florida
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