Talk about a buggy week. I've had three, first time moth sightings down on the homestead this week. Which strikes me as unusual, as I've lived here over five years now.
Today I went to do dishes and saw this little fellow walking along the edge of a steel bowl. I learned a couple years back not to touch any more hairy caterpillars as they possess hollow quill-like hairs that are connected to poison sacs. I learned that lesson the hard way on a gorgeous saddleback caterpillar.
Down here in Kentucky we have several stinging caterpillars. Thankfully, I was able to make a fast identification and learned this one was not. It is a Banded Tussock Caterpillar, Halysidota tessellaris. Another grape leaf eater.
Photo credit: Bugguide.net
While I'm excited to identify new critters, I wish they weren't so destructive on the homestead. I don't mind sharing, but don't be a hog and eat it all.
Till Next Time,
Mary Lotus
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Thank you for the clarification. I actually debated between two other tags. I gave a lot of thought to the tags and used the steemit tag as a way to attract others to steemit from out in internet world.
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Beautiful color this moth has! I've not seen one like this. Here in TN I've only seen grey ones or white and grey.
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A couple days ago I spotted what turned out to be a couple grapeleaf sketetonizer moths. While also beautiful, they are just destroying my grapes. I'm a bit shocked I've never seen any of these moths before. Good thing they are all so pretty.
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The caterpillar and moth are both beautiful. Now stay away from the grapes.
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That's what I'm sayin'. I'm just glad they haven't switched over to my blueberry plants (knocking on wood). They could really goof up my production for next year. I'd love it if they would eat all the wild blackberries that have grown up around here. While I love blackberries, these wild plants have thorns of doom and are about impossible to walk through. Come on moths, eat those things.
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Amazing, that caterpillar really does look lethal and the moth is such a lovely colour. Moths freak my out for some reason (I think it's the tendency to fly at your face when it's dark out) but there really are some incredibly beautiful ones out there. Butterflies get all the credit!
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It's true, moths appear to be so spastic when flying around. They definitely are lacking in the grace department, lol.
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Yikes! Good thing you learned that lesson once and didn't repeat the incident! Have you noticed any of your garden getting eaten by them??
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They don't seem to bother the garden at all. But they are tearing my grapes up! Seems like the Bt bacteria is helping but we are having some rain each day meaning I have to keep reapplying it. This is the first year I've ever had this problem.
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I have a real tip for you...so your pictures are not gray in the thumbnail...take out the parenthesis () in the link as that is what causes this...now following via homestead facebook...hope this helped...
They sure are cute and fuzzy worms and beautiful moths though...in GA they get invaded by ladybugs up by Elijay!
Love and peace,
Melissa
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I was wondering why it was grayed out. Thank you!
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You are very welcome, glad I could help!
Melissa
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