Tag Archives: insects

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar © Sean Horton

Take 5: Caterpillar Craze

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Ryan D.

What on earth are caterpillars, anyway?

“Caterpillar” is a common name for the “larval” (immature) stage of insects of the order Lepidoptera, a.k.a. butterflies and moths.

Finding caterpillars in nature is not easy! The easiest way is to look on their preferred host plants. Monarch butterfly caterpillars, for example, prefer to eat milkweed plants, so that’s where you’re most likely to find them hanging out.

If you love butterflies and caterpillars, you’re in luck! The 10th Annual Butterfly Festival at Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester is this Saturday, August 12. There will be activities for kids including face painting, an obstacle course, a story tent, and nature-themed arts and crafts, as well as a Caterpillar Lab with caterpillar expert Sam Jaffe.

To celebrate these cute, crawly creatures, here are five caterpillar images from our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors Photo Contest. The 2017 photo contest is open now, so enter today!

Isabella Tiger Moth Caterpillar (a.k.a. "Wooly Bear") © Callie Bucchino

Isabella Tiger Moth Caterpillar (a.k.a. “Wooly Bear”) © Callie Bucchino—Wooly Bears are unique for being commonly identified by their larval stage rather than their adult stage.

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar © Brendan Cramphorn

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar © Brendan Cramphorn

Brown-hooded Owlet (Cucullia convexipennis) © Ron Verville

Brown-hooded Owlet (Cucullia convexipennis) © Ron Verville

Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar © Ingrid Moncada

Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar © Ingrid Moncada

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar © Sean Horton

Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar © Sean Horton

Keep Your Eyes Peeled for this Pest

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Rosemary

Quick Guide to Asian Longhorned BeetlesThe non-native Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is a serious threat to our maples and many other hardwood trees. The larvae dig deep into the heartwood; infected trees cannot be saved. Tens of thousands of trees have already been lost in the northern and central US.

In fact, it’s such a severe threat that the USDA has designated the beetle’s most active month—August—Tree Check Month. With early detection, infestations can be stopped in their tracks.

How to Identify

The ALB infests hardwood trees, such as maple, birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow, elm, and ash. Signs of an infestation include:

  • Perfectly round, dime-sized (approximately 3/8 of an inch or 1 cm in diameter) holes with smooth edges left by adult beetles exiting a tree
  • Shallow oval scars in the bark (1/2-3/4 of an inch, or 1.3-2 cm wide) where the eggs are deposited.
  • Sawdust-like material on the ground around the trunk or on tree limbs
  • The beetle itself. The mature ALB is shiny black with white spots, measures 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches (2-4 cm) in length, and has two antennae up to four inches (10 cm) long. There are several lookalikes; to help, the USDA complied a look-a-likes chart.

Learn more

Read our primer on this species, explore AsianLonghornedBeetle.com, and share our Quick Guide to help us spot and stop it!