100 More species #74: Giant leopard moth

[urbpan]

Giant leopard moth Hypercompe scribonia

Well, this is embarrassing. Not only did I fall 26 species short of my project, I totally forgot to post this one back in early December when I found it. This plump bristly caterpillar took me by surprise, as it seemed rather late in the year. I usually give up on finding new insects outdoors in December--apart from a few small fly species that pop up here and there.



I would have never posted this if it weren't for my friend Karen who likes to post random pictures of animals on my facebook timeline. She just thought it was a beautiful creature that I would appreciate (it is) without realizing (or caring) that I had found them in my yard in 2012. The adult moth is white with a very attractive pattern of black spots and rings. Blue and orange scales on the moth's body are hidden by the wings at rest, but are dramatic when the wings are spread.



This caterpillar feeds on a wide variety of cultivated and wild plants--from banana leaves to maple leaves, and including urban and suburban plants like dandelions, violets, and brassicas. Like the woolly bear, the leopard moth caterpillar overwinters in the larva stage, somewhat protected by its coat of bristles.

Pictures of the adult moth, etc.

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I love how fuzzy it is!

[barn-swallow.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I saw an adult leopard moth several years ago! Hopefully this link works (please ignore the fact that the album is called "Bugs" and has slugs etc in it...)

[lisianthia.livejournal.com]

It's so cute!

[deathling.livejournal.com]

Aha! I have seen those moths before! I had no idea they came from a spiky furry caterpillar. Thanks for sharing.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

Fabulous! I used to love big hairy caterpillars when I was young. I haven't seen one in years. The ones we used to find when we were kids were all simply called Hairy Mollies by us, and I don't know now what species they were from. Possibly tiger moths?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Seems likely!
(my google result is intriguing: http://www.slang.ie/index.php?entryid=9945)

[littlemoremasks.livejournal.com]

Photo number two is a real gem. Dreamy, great DoF, nice texture. Well done!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! I think I used a manual zoom lens with macro ability--a real pain to use because of the camera shake, but pretty good results.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Wow, haven't seen one that big in a long time. Only find wooly bears here.