Beautiful colors, markings and features characterize these creatures in the four stages of their metamorphosis. The egg evolves into a larva or caterpillar, then into the pupal stage before the butterfly or moth emerges. We are looking at the larva or caterpillar stage, looking for the largest caterpillars in the world.
Before we can enjoy the beautiful species of butterflies and moths, these creatures are in a phase of their life cycle called caterpillars. Caterpillar characteristics include many colors and patterns. Some are furry, some are more prickly. Thick hair, fine hair, spikes, jagged or split tails – all this sets them apart. Caterpillars also have preferences as to what type of leaves they eat and what kind of tree they nest. Favorites include walnut, nutmeg, white nut, hickory, pecan, sumac, gum, and persimmon. They say that the largest and fastest growing larvae live in persimmons.
Flies of the tachinid and sarcophagus species, as well as poached wasps are natural enemies of caterpillars. Butterfly cocoons provide great protection as they are hard pupae. Moth caterpillars are usually found in a silky cocoon and are more vulnerable. In summer or early fall, you will often see caterpillars shrink and stretch again as they move across leaves, trees, or even the ground in front of you.
# 12 Caterpillar Io Moth (Io Moth – Automeris Io – Fabricius)
The io moth caterpillar is bright green with a characteristic white stripe and shades of red or purple on the sides. The bristles cover its back, which has a row of hairs. This species, up to three inches in length, feeds on birch, blackberry, cherry, clover, elm, carcass, hibiscus, oak, poplar, sassafras, willow, and wisteria. Try not to touch this caterpillar. The hair on the back will burn and the effect can last from a few minutes to hours. Some people may have an allergic reaction to the poison. You will see this grub throughout the summer months.
# 11 Spice caterpillar (Spicebush Swallowtail – Papilio troilus – Linnaeus)
The smooth and green spice caterpillar has yellow or orange spots on the sides of its head. He has two more yellow spots on the back of his head. The folded leaves of spicebush, sassafras, sweet laurel, prickly ash and shrubs are the nesting and main food source for this species. Hatching usually occurs once a year, and in a favorable climate, the second.
# 10 Parsley (Black Swallowtail – Papilio polyxenes asterias – Stoll)
Parsley is also called celery, carrot worm, American dovetail, or black dovetail. Pale or yellow-green with stripes on the back in black and white with yellow-orange spots that give this caterpillar a beautifully striped appearance. Food for this caterpillar variety is parsley, parsnips, celery, carrots, dill, cumin, Queen Anne’s lace, and other plants. Farmers and gardeners often find them pests for their crops. There can be two or more hatches per year.
# 9 Catalpavorm (Catalpa Sphinx Moth – Ceratomia catalpa – Boisduval)
The catalpa worm or the catalpa sphinx moth is either velvet black with green and black stripes, or yellow-brown with stripes. It has a trait that looks like a black horn on its tail. Eating the leaves of the catalpa tree is a favorite dish of this caterpillar, and it is known to completely devastate the tree. After reaching three inches, this caterpillar will burrow underground for the next stage of its development. This species hatches twice a year.
# 8 Tomato horned worm (five-spotted hawk moth – Manduca quinquemaculato – Haworth)
The tomato hornworm or five-spotted hawk moth is green in color and has eight curved stripes on the sides of the body. A tail and a black chorus sticking straight up. The feast includes tobacco, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes and weeds. The larval stage lasts an average of 28 to 36 days.
# 7 Tobacco Hornworm (Carolina Sphynx Moth – Manduca sexta – Linnaeus)
The Caroline Sphynx mole or tobacco cuckold is green in color with seven diagonal stripes on each side of the body. The tail end has a red curved horn. The tobacco hornworm is similar to the tomato hornworm and feeds on the same tobacco, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, and weeds. The larval stage averages 28 to 36 days.
# 6 Prometheus (Promethea Moth – Callosamia promethea – Drury)
The Prometheus moth is also called the silk moth. A smooth green and blue caterpillar with spikes. There are four reddish-orange ones near the front and one at the yellow end of the tail. Segments along the back show four small black-blue spots. There are two facial spots on the head. Spicy bush, cherry, sassafras, tulip tree, willow, poplar, sweet gum, ash, apple, pear, lilac, wild plum, birch, button bush, linden, maple and chokeberry are the favorite food for the Promethean moth. The cocoon in the leaf is rolled into silk and remains there for 42 to 54 days before emerging.
# 5 Moon (Moon Moth – Actias luna – Linnaeus)
The moon moth, also called the moon moth, has a translucent pale green color. It has a pale yellow line that runs down the side. This caterpillar will grow up to four inches. Preferred foods are alder, cherry, walnut, hickory, oak, sweet gum, birch, nutmeg, beech, willow, chestnut, pecan, hazelnut, and persimmon leaves. Unlike many other butterflies, the moon moth cocoons the ground among fallen leaves.
# 4 Imperial (Imperial moth – Eagles imperialis – Drury)
The imperial butterfly larvae are yellow-green, tawny or dark brown on the upper side and hunting green on the underside. They are covered with short, stiff, light blue-green hairs. There are breathing holes on the sides, white with an aquamarine outline and black. On the occiput of the orange-yellow head, there are four long, sharp yellow spines. They feed on trees and shrubs from spruce, pine, oak, maple, sycamore, cherry, birch, alder, elm, gum, sassafras, beech, cedar and walnut. Burrowing under the soil after a 42-day larval stage, this caterpillar will wait out the winter.
# 3 Polyphemus (Polyphemus Moth – Artheraeo polyphemus – Kramer)
Caterpillar Polyphemus is thick, accordion-like, pale green with sparse hair. It will reach four inches in length. Preferred food: oak, hickory, elm, maple, birch, apple, box, cherry, chestnut, willow, ash, grapes, pine and rose bushes. The cocoon resembles parchment. It is round and tough. The caterpillar forms its cocoon on a tree or bush where it feeds, and remains there for 48-50 days.
# 2 Cecropia (Cecropia Moth – Hyalophora cecropia – Linnaeus)
The moth or cecropium moth is black with short bristles reaching four inches in length and ¾ in in diameter. The caterpillar will change from black to green with a blue tint. On its back, it has two pairs of orange and eight yellow pineal tubercles. On the sides there are smaller, pale blue and yellow-white tips of the tubercles. As food, this caterpillar chooses wild cherry, plum, elderberry, maple, willow, boxelder, apple, birch, lilac, walnut, pecan, elm, beech, poplar and shrubs.
# 1 Hickory Horned Devil (Regal Moth – Citheronia regalis – Fabricius)
The hickory horned devil is the larva of the king moth or king nut moth. It gets its name from its appearance. There are five pairs of long, curved, horn-shaped pieces at the back of the head. The rest of the body has shorter orange spines with black tips. The body is dark blue-green to brown. Our longest caterpillar grows to be five to six inches long and ¾ inches in diameter. When fed for 37 to 42 days, he chooses hickory, walnut, nutmeg, pecan, ash, lilac, persimmon, sycamore, sumac and gum leaves. They dig underground.
Conclusion
From the spiky ridges to colorful markings and every little detail that makes the caterpillar unique, we’ve found some really great ones. We see in them an annoying crawling larva that eats leaves, flowers, fruits and wood that we have in our yard.
We do not see them in fruit until the fruit is harvested and prepared for the dinner table. The caterpillar larva sometimes creates membranes in or near our closets and can damage clothing and other linen. On our lawns, we can observe yellowing or darkening of the grass due to the activity of the caterpillars. Our furry caterpillar friends can eat leaves and flowers whole. Woody plants and trees may find caterpillars drilling them in search of food and shelter.
Despite these minor inconveniences for us, the importance of caterpillars to our ecosystem is undeniable. They are a food source for other animals, but they are also pollinators. They help fertilize plants, distribute pollen, and help plants reproduce.
We love to observe many types of caterpillars when we meet them in nature. We even like to grab them and let them crawl in our arms from time to time. Having passed the caterpillar stage, the beauty we experience in butterflies and moths is simply mesmerizing. This creature is truly beautiful!