Now is the time of the illuminated woods…when every leaf glows like a tiny lamp.
~John Burroughs
Autumn creeps into these woods slowly. I notice it more at sunset, when the light streaming across the ridge now has a distinct yellow tint that it lacks in the heat of summer.
Autumn maple leaf back lit by afternoon sun (click photos to enlarge)
On still afternoons, a close look at a leaf in its final days, reveals a world of intricate detail and beauty. But, there is more than leaf color waiting to be appreciated if you look closely. I walked around the yard yesterday, no particular purpose in mind, just looking closely at the changing landscape. Two weeks ago, I posted about a surprise discovery of what I thought might be my last larva of the waning warm season. I was wrong.
Red-humped Oakworm
Not sure why I saw it as it was on the underside of a small sapling oak, but see it I did…another late season larva. It looked dressed for the season in a kaleidoscope of color and pattern. It also looked familiar, but I had to spend a few minutes paging through my worn copy of Wagner’s Caterpillars of Eastern North America before I found what I think it is – a Red-humped Oakworm, Symmerista canicosta.
Colors befitting the season for this beautiful caterpillar
Apparently, this species is almost identical to another, the White-headed Prominent, S. albifrons, which shares this part of their ranges. I later learned that it may be possible to separate the two based on the relative widths of the black and white lines on their dorsal surface, which, of course, I didn’t manage to capture in my photos.
A real beauty, whichever species it may be
These caterpillars start life as gregarious feeders and become solitary in later instars. They can also apparently cause widespread defoliation of oaks, especially in the northeast. When disturbed, they assume a curved position that makes it tougher to discern which end is which. I don’t know if there is an unpleasant surprise awaiting any predator that attempts to feast on either end, but many species with this behavior secrete noxious chemicals at both ends to deter would-be diners. In any case, whether I learn its true identity ,or why it behaves the way it does, this little guy brought some color and amazement to my stroll outside, and you can’t ask for more than that, at any time of year.
The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place. All through the long history of Earth it has been an area of unrest where waves have broken heavily against the land, where the tides have pressed forward over the continents, receded, and then returned… The shore has a dual nature, changing with the swing of the tides, belonging now to the land, now to the sea…
~Rachel Carson
The trip was originally planned to be in the Sierras – Yosemite (the other “Y” park), Kings Canyon, Sequoia. But fires, lingering smoke, closures, and little water in the streams for backpacking led to Plan B, the coast. The first part was in the redwood forests – mesmerizing, spellbinding, otherworldly. The last part was more challenging, a multi-day backpacking trip along the Lost Coast Trail (LCT). The trail runs through portions of the King Range National Conservation Area in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties in northern California. Due to the rugged terrain and unstable geology of the King Range, California’s famed coastal Highway 1, which hugs much of the state’s beautiful coastline, cuts inland along the Lost Coast, leaving an 80 mile stretch of coastline with no major roads. The area is sparsely populated and the roads are steep and winding as we found out on our early morning shuttle ride from Shelter Cove (on the south end of our trail section) to the starting point up north at Mattole Beach. Even though the straight line distance is only 25 miles, it takes about an hour and a half by car. But, the shuttle is worth the pricey cost. You have your car waiting for you at the end of your hike plus you get a lot of good local information from the driver on the way.
The start of the Lost Coast Trail, northern section (click photos to enlarge)
Our shuttle ride began in the predawn darkness at 6:30 a.m. so we could get an early start at the Mattole Beach trail head. Most people walk this section of trail north to south, like we were doing, because the oftentimes strong coastal winds will generally be at your back in this direction…generally. Our day started with a steady 15+ mph wind in our face. And it stayed that way all day and into the night, with occasional gusts much higher. At least it made for cooler hiking. One reason for our early start was that hikers must pay close attention to the tides on this stretch of the LCT because there are a few stretches along the 25-mile hike that are impassable at high tide. Two of the impassable stretches are each about 4 miles in length, so you need to plan your hike to ensure you can either get through them before the tide starts coming in, or you reach one of the campsites (along the many creeks that run into the ocean) inside the impassable zone. By starting early that day, we would be hiking much of the day before the tide reached a level that would halt our progress.
Stellar Sea Lions hauled out at low tide
The first couple of miles were pretty easy, except for the steady wind. As we neared the Punta Gorda Lighthouse (no longer active) we saw our first person on the trail. She was a day-hiker and was watching a group of over 50 Stellar Sea Lions that were hauling out on the beach. There are apparently some places that are better than others if you are hauled out, as there was a lot of pushing and chest bumping going on, along with their loud barking sounds. We were a respectable distance from the beach and on high ground, so we sat and watched the activity for about 30 minutes before seeking shelter from the wind in the aging lighthouse. After lunch, we pushed off again, hoping to get to a campsite inside the impassable zone before the tide came in too far.
Dead Gray Whale calf washed up in Cooskie Creek
We reached our destination, Cooskie Creek, late in the afternoon. Our shuttle driver had told us about a dead whale calf washed into the mouth of the creek so we knew we were at the right spot as soon as we spotted it in a pool of the creek near the beach. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Lost Creek Trail and encourages campers to use campsites that have obviously been used in the past in order to minimize damage to the habitat. We found one upstream that was perfect, including a nice pool in the creek for bathing (in the ice cold water). As the tide reached the high tide mark and no one else had hiked in, we knew we would have the spot to ourselves for the night. We settled in for our first of several freeze-dried meals (boy, have they improved over the years) and waited for another sunset over the Pacific.
One of the perks of hiking the LCT are beautiful ocean sunsets
The next morning we waited until the tide started falling and headed out. Hiking conditions varied along the trail from deep sand (the worst from my point of view), to boulder fields, to the wonderful solid ground of the so-called flats.
Round cobblestones were easier to navigate than deep sand but required taking careful stepsWe made the best time on the flats
I strongly advise that anyone attempting this hike have at least one trekking pole. They are invaluable when hiking through the long stretches of rounded rocks on the beach. The flats are the easiest places to hike on the trip and were also the best for seeing wildflowers and wildlife (although the creek side campsites were also good for this).
Black-tailed Deer on Miller Flats
Since we were hiking and backpacking on this trip, I left my usual camera gear at home and brought my new (birthday gift) Olympus Tough TG-4. It is a compact, waterproof point-and-shoot that has a great macro and shoots RAW files in certain modes. I didn’t think we would see all that much wildlife to shoot, but that turned out not to be true. We saw a lot of Black-tailed Deer along the trail, as well as Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, lots of birds (including American Dippers along the creeks and a flock of Wild Turkeys at Miller Flats), two live whales, and several River Otter.
A young deer appeared to have been stranded on the beach at high tide
On one of the impassable at high tide stretches, we came across a small deer that must have been trapped on the beach in the last tide cycle. The obviously shaken (and wet and shaking) animal was in a location with steep cliffs bordering the beach making it next to impossible to climb to safety. It was quite a way back to the flats and I was unsure what was ahead, so we were hesitant to try to drive the animal out ahead of us. I moved closer to make sure it was not stuck in the rocks (it wasn’t) and we decided to leave it and hope it found its way out. That was a tough decision, but a group following us that we encountered the next day had not seen it on the beach when they passed, so it hopefully made its way to dry ground.
Black Bear tracks were a common sight along some stretches of the LCT
One of the wildlife surprises was the abundance of bear tracks along the beach. They were spread out over a large stretch of the trail and at one point there were two distinct sets of tracks, including one from a fairly large animal. It would have been great to see one out on the beach, but I am thankful we had no issues with them at our campsites. I see now why the BLM requires hikers to carry a bear canister with them for overnight trips (they can be rented locally).
The campsite with the best swimming hole was at Big Creek (note required bear canister in foreground – we had two)Sunrise at Big Creek
Many people do this trip in three days, but we had decided to take our time and enjoy the journey, so we planned on a five day trip. That also gave us a lot of flexibility in terms of campsite selection, and we managed to have the creeks all to ourselves each night. That probably doesn’t happen very often in the busier seasons.
Taking our time allowed for enjoying the small wonders along the trailMisty sunrise at camp
On our fourth morning, we awoke to some light fog moving in off the ocean, creating a magical, misty landscape for our breakfast. We debated staying the extra night, but our last camp was in a setting more reminiscent of a NC mountain scene than something less than a hundred yards from the Pacific surf, so we stayed.
Our last campsite was along a crystal clear stream like you would find in the mountains at home
To make it even more special, a family of four River Otters were holed up in a log pile near the mouth of the creek, allowing us a few close up views as they settled in for the night. We ate dinner out on the beach and watched the sea and sky perform one last time – what a beautiful way to end a trip.
Beginning of another beautiful Pacific Coast sunsetThe seas were calm and the sky radiant on our last evening on the LCTPink clouds reflected in the freshwater pool from Gitchell CreekA fitting way to end a wonderful hike
The last morning we had to wait until the tide started dropping and we packed up one last time and headed out. The black sands in the final couple of miles were challenging at times, but we could see scattered houses on the slopes of Shelter Cove and that was incentive enough to finish our trek. It had been a relaxing, occasionally challenging, hike along an incredibly scenic coastline. The weather had been perfect – cool, cloudy when it needed to be to shelter us from the sun, and full of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. And the pace was such that we could appreciate the wildlife and small wonders along the way. Not a bad Plan B after all.
A few more shots from our hike along the Lost Coast Trail.
There are a half dozen or so pieces of private property along the trail, some with nice cabins, and one with a beautiful home and grassy air strip.California Poppies brightened our way, especially along the flats.This giant stump is near the end of the trail.We found several species washed up on the beach along the LCT – sea urchins, chitons, a dead sea lion, and two dead whales.I had thought we were doing well and being tough on our 25-mile hike. Then we met these guys hiking in to Miller Flats (about a 10-mile hike from the south) to catch some waves. On our return, I also read that John Muir considered 25 miles a nice day hike…oh well.There are a lot of driftwood shelters that hikers have created at campsites along the trail. The BLM discourages this type of disturbance to the natural landscape.Piles of dried kelp made striking patterns along the trail…So do the rocks you struggle to walk over.Western Fence Lizards were a constant companion along the LCTThings you don’t have to think about when you hike the East Coast beaches.A gull feather on the beach.The final sunset on our hike.
Only spread a fern-frond over a man’s head and worldly cares are cast out, and freedom and beauty and peace come in.
~John Muir
The first campground on our recent trip to the redwood forests was at Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Gold Buffs Beach campground (click photos to enlarge)
It is a beautiful setting on the beach with a backdrop of high, gold-colored cliffs. The setting sun showcases the yellow-gold color that gave these bluffs along this stretch of the coast their name. And, it turns out, there really is gold in them thar hills. There was a gold mining operation in the area, off and on, from the 1850’s to the early 1900’s, with many attempts to extract the extremely fine gold dust embedded in the hillsides along the coast. Eventually, the operation ceased and land was donated to the Save the Redwoods League in an effort to preserve the adjacent coastal forests.
Bull Elk on beach
This park is home to a large herd of Roosevelt Elk. They can be found in an inland prairie area, in the forests (where they look tiny in the setting of the huge Redwoods), and, surprisingly, along the beach. We started our morning at Gold Bluffs Beach by hiking down the gravel road to the trail head for Fern Canyon. A couple of hormonal-charged bull Elk greeted us as they made their way along the dune line, thrashing the bushes with their antlers in preparation for a possible duel. We let them pass and then headed out on the trail.
Fern Canyon
Our 10-mile hike started at one of the more popular sites in the park, Fern Canyon. I had seen photos of the site, but they don’t really prepare you for the magical nature of the place. We were lucky as there was no one else in the canyon when we entered, giving us a chance to walk in silence and to try to absorb the beauty of this place.
Five-fingered Ferns cover the walls
Fern Canyon is a narrow, long, canyon cut by the weathering action of Home Creek through the soft sedimentary rock. The walls rise straight above the flat creek bed for 50 to 80 feet and are festooned with a carpet of green – ferns, mosses, and small shrubs. As you stroll through, you can hear the water gurgling in the crystal clear creek waters, and you can catch the dripping sounds of water trickling down the canyon walls.
Several species of ferns adorn the canyon sides
There are at least seven species of ferns forming a living wallpaper, the most common being the Five-Fingered Fern, a relative of our Maidenhair Fern.
Pacific Chorus Frog (aka Pacific Tree Frog)
The canyon is also home to some interesting amphibians including the Coastal Giant Salamander and the Pacific Chorus Frog. While we missed seeing any salamanders, we did find a chilled chorus frog slowly climbing a moss-covered trunk at the base of the canyon.
A magical place
Fern Canyon is certainly a place you could revisit many times, in many seasons (be prepared to get your feet wet in all but the driest months). I would love to go back at different times of day to witness the play of light on the canyon walls. No wonder it was chosen as one of the backdrops for the movie, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and a couple of other dinosaur-related films. It does make you feel as if you are in a different place, a different time, a world with the green filter turned all the way up.
Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods.
~John Muir
The original plan for the recent California trip was destination Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks, in part to see the Giant Sequoia trees. With the fires, partial closures, and air quality issues, we changed plans and headed for the other big trees, the Redwoods. I had seen Redwoods once before on a visit to Muir Woods, just north of San Francisco. They are mesmerizing. But we wanted to see more, to walk without crowds in the company of these giants. So, the first part of the trip we headed north, up the Redwood Highway (Rt. 101).
Avenue of the Giants (click photos to enlarge)
One of the highlights that is easy for anyone traveling north on 101 is a slight detour onto the Avenue of the Giants, a 31-mile side road that runs through magnificent groves of Redwoods. It is hard to imagine how tall these coastal Redwoods really are unless you have something for scale. As you drive through the towering trees, the road ahead looks more like a paved path than a highway.
Redwood forest in Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Avenue of the Giants passes through Humboldt Redwoods State Park, home to the largest continuous old growth Redwood forest in the world. Redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens, are an ancient tree and were once found throughout much of North America. They are now restricted to a narrow band (varying from 5 to 20 miles in width) that stretches about 450 miles from from just north of the Oregon state line to the Santa Lucia Mountains south of Monterey, California. Until this trip, I had not realized how close we came to losing these magnificent forests. As soon as they were discovered by Europeans, the Redwoods were being cut for timber. And no wonder – the wood is very rot resistant, a beautiful reddish color, and one tree can supply an incredible amount of lumber. In fact, Santa Rosa is home to the Church of One Tree, a church built in 1873 entirely from the wood from one Redwood tree (275 feet tall and 18 feet in diameter). And a single tree in Humboldt County has an estimated 361,336 board feet, enough to build 22 five room houses. It was primarily through the efforts of private citizens, especially the Save the Redwoods League (created in 1918), that the coastal Redwood forests were saved from destruction. Of the estimated original 2 million acres of old growth Redwoods in California at the time of European discovery, only about 5% (120,000 acres) remains today.
Redwood log display at Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center
The more I learn about these trees, the more I understand how magical they truly are. This log that fell in 2006 at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, is about 6 feet in diameter. The cut was made at a point on the tree 70 feet above the ground, and the center ring is dated 912 A.D., making it 1,094 years old.
Below is a quick summary of some of the amazing facts about Redwoods:
Coast Redwoods are the world’s tallest living things – the current record tree is 379 feet tall
They can live to be over 2000 years old
They can be up to 27 feet wide (Giant Sequoias are somewhat shorter, but can be wider)
Redwoods can usually survive natural forest fires because of their thick (up to 12 inches), protective bark
A single old growth Redwood is capable of producing an estimated 10 million seeds in one year, but only a small fraction survive to germinate
A fallen log may take several hundred years to decay, but may support a few thousand species of organisms over that time
A single, large tree may weigh over 1 million pounds
The greatest accumulation of plant biomass ever recorded on Earth was in a Redwood stand in Humboldt Redwoods State Park (1400 metric tons of biomass per acre)
The Dyerville Giant, a former world champion Redwood, that fell in 1991 (note the two people walking next to the tree far off in the distance)
But, beyond the factoids that boggle the mind in the Redwoods, there is a feeling you get when standing among the giants, a feeling that is hard to express, perhaps because I have never experienced anything quite like this before. But others have said it well…
But more impressive than the facts and figures as to height, width, age, etc., are the entrancing beauty and tranquility that pervade the forest, the feelings of peace, awe and reverence that it inspires. ~George McDonald
Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven. ~Rabindranath Tagore
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. ~John Muir
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
So, I leave you with some images from the land of the giants, images which cannot convey the majesty of these forests. For that, you must walk among them…
Redwood bark
Though this tree has been through many fires, it continues to live
Sword Ferns are a common understory species in the Redwood forest
Looking up through a burned out stump
Old and fresh shade needles and cones from a Redwood tree
Trail through the Redwood forest at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Trunk sprout
Sunlight streams through the giant trees at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
…one’s first impression might be that this creature has somehow lost its way out of an Amazonian jungle.
~David L. Wagner, describing the Crowned Slug caterpillar in Caterpillars of Eastern North America
When I returned from our California trip, I looked around the yard and saw what lies ahead – lots of yard work. Seems as though autumn had arrived while we were away – leaves changing colors and dropping, branches and twigs littering the ground, and an accumulation of acorns on the back deck. This is apparently a good year for the mast crop (acorns and hickory nuts). So, I began by sweeping off the walkway and deck.
Cleaning up the acorns on the deck (click photos to enlarge)
The two large oaks out back drop an impressive number of acorns every few years (usually with a resounding clang on the metal roof and deck). I swept up almost a 5-gallon bucket of nuts that had fallen in a week and a half.
Crowned Slug caterpillar
As I finished sweeping up, I noticed a splash of color on one of the fallen oak leaves – a caterpillar. And not just any caterpillar, one of my favorites, the Crowned Slug (Isa textula). This is one of the more bizarre-looking of the “stinging” caterpillars.
Close up of stinging spines
This unusual species is characterized by a series of lobes projecting from the sides of the body, each lobe containing an array of long, stinging spines. Additional stinging spines are found in clusters near the middle of the dorsal surface. The head region is marked by two elongate projections edged in red.
Crowned Slug feeding on dried oak leaf
I was initially surprised to find one so late in the season, and to see it feeding on an obviously dry fallen leaf. But when I looked it up in Caterpillars of Eastern North America, the author said these caterpillars may be active very late in the season, sometimes dropping down with autumn rains and wind. So, I guess it is not so unusual after all.
A beautiful way to finish another great caterpillar season
After spending a few minutes photographing it, I placed this late larva on a fresh oak leaf out back. If this is the last larva of the season, it is a memorable one…slug royalty. I’m already looking forward to next year…
Things have been quiet on the blog as I have been on an 11 day trip to the coast of California (end it turns out there was almost no cell service in most of the places I visited).
This was the sunset last night on the way back to San Francisco for the flight home today. I’ll post a couple of the highlights later this week.
A caterpillar is basically a flexible tube…it is designed purely for eating and growing.
~Michael Chinery, in Butterflies and Day-flying Moths of Britain and Europe
Eat, poop, eat, poop…such is the life of a caterpillar. After BugFest, I kept a few of the specimens for a couple of days before releasing them back into the wild (where they were found) in order to observe and photograph them. The tough part of rearing caterpillars is providing them with enough of the right kind of food. It can get to be a full-time job if you have too many larvae living with you.
Spicebush Swallowtail larva feeding on Spicebush leaf (click photo to enlarge)
Some are picky eaters, like the Spicebush Swallowtail larva above (eats Spicebush and Sassasfras in our area), and feed on only one or two species of plant. Others are generalists, and can be found on a wide variety of plants, but some may prefer whichever plant species they were originally eating.
Whatever the diet, they tend to eat relatively little when small (first couple of instars). But, as they grow and molt, they really become eating machines. It is tough to find data on how many leaves one caterpillar can eat but one reference on monarchs estimated a single larva could consume all the leaves on a Common Milkweed plant by the time it was ready to pupate. Certainly, the last instar of a Monarch larva can consume 4 or 5 of the large leaves before forming a chrysalis. That’s a lot of food!
I love watching them munch through leaves. You can even hear larger caterpillars eating. So, in honor of the ending of another caterpillar season, I present a few short clips of caterpillars chomping on their larval lunches…
…the repulsive larva, tissue by tissue, is transformed into the superlative beauty of the adult moth. Beauty will come from beauty in disguise.
~Edwin Way Teale, on caterpillar transformation
Monkey Slug caterpillar (click photos to enlarge)
This was a good year for some unusual caterpillars. For some reason, while looking for larvae a couple of weeks ago, we managed to find several of one of the strangest larval forms to be found in these parts, the Monkey Slug caterpillar, Phobetron pithecium. As if Monkey Slug wasn’t weird enough, this well-disguised creature also goes by the moniker of Hag Moth larva. You can read more about these cryptic critters in a previous post from last year’s BugFest outing.
Monkey Slug larvae can be various shades of color from tan to rust
These guys can be difficult to spot as they tend to look like a piece of dried leaf edge. They are generalist feeders which means you can’t search just a few types of plants for them. It’s more a matter of developing a search image and just plain luck. This year we found them on an elm, a multi-flora rose, and a hickory.
Before returning the larvae to their former haunts, I kept them for a couple of days to observe their behavior. Turns out they fit the family name, Slug Moth caterpillars (Limacodidae), and are quite sluggish in their feeding and movement. Here is a short clip of one feeding when viewed from below.
It reminds me of an odd-shaped, fuzzy mitten trying to gnaw the edge of a leaf. The larva tends to keep its head tucked much of the time.
Monkey Slug from below
These are listed as one of the “stinging” caterpillars with various references saying they have urticating spines hidden in the “hairs” of the lateral processes (wavy arms), and perhaps elsewhere on their body. I wonder if those whitish tufts visible along the sides, when viewed from below, are also clusters of stinging spines?
This individual was fairly active on its host twig and I managed to twist the twig around to watch its locomotion skills. Another short video clip clearly shows why this group has the word slug in its family name.
While somewhat slow, and definitely bizarre, these caterpillars are one of my favorites. Now, I just need to find an adult moth at my moth light next year.
It provides strength to the armor plate of the beetle, keenness to the lancet of the mosquito, endurance to the rasping fiddle and bow of the cricket and the katydid.
~Edwin Way Teale, on the properties of chitin
Late summer and early fall are a time of abundance of many types of invertebrates in our woods. Many are reaching their maximum size and activity levels in preparation for however they spend the winter (most as eggs or pupae).
A species of katydid out in the yard (click photos to enlarge)
Last week, I noticed a particularly large katydid on a shrub in the front yard. The songs of katydids reverberate through the treetops here most of the summer, but the onset of cooler weather has quieted them somewhat. They make their sounds by stridulation – rubbing one body part against another. In the case of katydids, they rub the base of the front edge of one forewing against a bumpy ridge at the base of the opposite wing.
Eardrum on front leg of katydid
Other katydids hear these sounds by means of oval-shaped tympana, or eardrums, located on each front leg.
Katydid from above
There are several species of katydids in our area and I have not yet learned how to accurately identify most. I think this one may be one of the Angle-wing species, perhaps the Greater Angle-wing Katydid, Microcentrum rhombifolium, but I can’t swear by it. Looking from above, I can see why this group might be called Angle-wings.
Katydid wings are great leaf mimics
And it is the wings that draw your attention to these beautiful insects once you are lucky enough to find them. The wings help make these katydids excellent leaf mimics, which comes in handy when you spend most of your time feeding on tree leaves.
Detail of katydid wing showing venation
The closer you look, the more amazing the detail becomes. While looking for caterpillars this time of year, I have been surprised on many occasions to suddenly come face to face with a pair of katydid eyes staring back at me when I grab a tree branch. This disguise can be quite effective, an important trait when you represent a large tasty meal to many other forest-dwellers from birds to mice to predatory insects and spiders. But, blending in isn’t always effective, especially when you take flight, or simply fall from your feeding perch.
Katydid caught in spider web outside my window
This is especially true around houses, where katydids are often attracted to lights at night. And, unfortunately for them and many other night-flying species (and the unwary person exiting a doorway), a variety of spiders also seem to like the windows and doors of woodland houses as sites for their large sticky webs. One night last week, a large katydid was entangled in the web of an orb weaver spider just outside the kitchen door. Too bad for her that KatyDid what she did in this case.
The grace and elegance of every adult butterfly and moth, as it flits about on wings radiant with color, are counterbalanced by the grossness and ugliness of the immature insect.
~Edwin Way Teale
As you probably know, if you are a reader of this blog, I don’t agree with this somewhat surprising view held by the great naturalist, Edwin Way Teale. Perhaps he was simply remarking on the belief held by many in the general population that caterpillars are nasty, ugly worms, that do nothing but damage our plants. In contrast, I find caterpillars to be one of the most fascinating groups of critters we have around us – so diverse, beautiful, and bizarre. And, people are fascinated by them, once they get to know them. That was proven once again this past weekend at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ annual BugFest event. Total attendance at this year’s BugFest was estimated at over 31,000 visitors, and I feel like those of us in the Caterpillar booth may have talked to most of them.
This Imperial Moth caterpillar was the largest larva at our booth this year at BugFest (click photos to enlarge)
It was a tough year for finding many of the larger caterpillars that are often the show-stoppers, although we did manage one nice Imperial Moth, Eacles imperialis, that managed to stay a caterpillar until the day after BugFest.
Puss Moth larva
But it was a very good year for some of the more unusual caterpillars. One of them, the Puss Moth Caterpillar, Megalopyge opercularis, is almost as fascinating to people as the larger, showier species. This small fuzz ball goes by many other names – the Possum Bug, Woolly Slug, Perrito (Spanish, for little dog), and Asp (the latter is the better-known common name in Texas). The adult moth is known as the Southern Flannel Moth (see images on the Moth Photographers Group web site).
Late instar of a Puss Caterpillar from last year’s BugFest
Last year we were lucky enough to find one Puss Moth larva. It was an earlier instar, and was somewhat orange in color, giving it a strong resemblance (some would say) to a certain political figure’s noticeable hair-do. This year, we found tree of the larvae, feeding on Wild Cherry and an Oak. Oaks are generally the preferred host, but they are found on a variety of other tree species.
Last instar of Puss Moth caterpillar
The larvae this year were all last instar larvae, being a darker gray-brown and having the noticeable white curly tufts on each side. These critters don’t look much like a caterpillar. They are covered in fur-like setae and appear to have a tail in later instars.
Puss Moth Caterpillar underside
And, unlike most caterpillars, they have two sets of accessory abdominal prolegs. Their head capsules are generally hidden by the “fur” and they appear to more or less glide over leaf surfaces when they move, but are not members of the Slug Caterpillars, Family Limacodidae.
Close up of larva showing spines underneath
But, like many in that family, these cute little fluffs of fur can also inflict a painful “sting” from urticating spines hidden beneath their fuzzy appearance. They have bumps along their body armed with hollow spines with a venom gland that inject a toxin into anything that touches them. All stages of the larvae are armed, but the toxicity (and pain) increases with increasing size of the larvae. This species is considered the most venomous caterpillar in the United States and has been responsible for many painful visits to a hospital, especially in Texas, where the species is much more common. A research paper describing the symptoms of the painful encounters with this species chronicles burning pain, nausea, swelling, and itching. During programs, we house our specimens in clear plastic containers for safe visibility, and are careful when adding new food. Most people will probably never see one of these unusual larvae since they both feed and pupate in trees. And, even though this species can be painful, the vast majority of caterpillars are harmless to humans.
Puss Moth cocoon under construction (note the front of the larva visible on the right – white and holding onto twig with a pair of legs)
On Saturday, one of the visitors saw something moving on one of the larvae and asked what it was. I looked and could see something just under the skin going back and forth. My first thought was some sort of parasite that was about ready to erupt. I did notice some silk strands attaching the larva to a twig, but reasoned that maybe the parasite had hijacked the larva’s behavior. As the afternoon wore on, it became apparent it was not a parasite, but rather the larva constructing its cocoon and incorporating that furry exterior into the project.
Puss Moth cocoon day 1
By the end of the day, the developing cocoon looked like an elongate, silk-covered version of what I have found on twigs in the past (see below). Some of the venomous spines are supposedly incorporated into this outer covering, although the larva retains most of them on its body. An excellent summary of the life history of this species with amazing images can be found on the University of Florida’s Featured Creatures web site.
Puss Moth cocoon day 3
By Monday, the cocoon construction had progressed and the shape was beginning to look more familiar.
Puss Moth cocoon day 4
The next day, the distinctive dorsal hump (packed with the soft hairs from the caterpillar’s body) was visible. I could also see the operculum on one end that gives this fascinating creature its species name, opercularis (right side in image, before the long taper of silk). There are probably two generations per year with this one overwintering as a larva inside the cocoon and then pupating in the spring.
A weathered cocoon reminds me of a mini-mailbox, complete with a door (partially opened on right)
The Featured Creatures page mentioned another peculiar aspect of the life history of this unusual species – it has a pre-adult phase called a pharate adult. This is the phase that pushes open the operculum when the moth is ready to emerge. After the pharate adult gets the “mailbox door” open, the adult moth will then emerge from the pupal skin and fly off. Bizarre indeed.
Roads End Naturalist 