This week, have you noticed this particular type of caterpillar crawling on everything outdoors? They are of different sizes, presumably at different ages. If one looks closely, they actually are quiet pretty, with a series of seemingly blue-aqua eyes lower to the ground.
Does anyone know what type of caterpillars they are, and if they are so prevalent this spring due to the mild winter we had?
Maybe someone from the University of Missouri Extension team will know what they are, and if they turn into a moth or butterfly.
Lisa
http://insects.about.com/od/butterfliesmoths/p/Mamericanum.htm jb
They start out as eggs in tight, dark, foamy masses that the moths lay around twigs. After hatching, they migrate together to forks of branches and spin a silken tent for protection. Caterpillars emerge early to feed on foliage and head back home to their tents during the warmest part of the afternoon. After four to six weeks, mature caterpillars will "leave the nest" and find a protected spot to spin a cocoon. Do you need to do anything about them? If a particularly prized plant is being stripped of its leaves you can scrape the tent and caterpillars into a bucket of soapy water or spray the plant with a product containing Bt., Thuricide, for example. Otherwise just enjoy watching them and let nature take its course! Most plants can recover from ETC feeding without too much difficulty. Nathan Brandt - Horticulture Specialist University of Missouri Extension - St. Louis