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So you think you have troubles? I was piddling around the building one day last week, doing whatever it is I do here at the Living Materials Center, when I was approached by one of our highly valued staff members. She, Sheri Andow, had spotted a wonder of nature in a flowerbed near the building and thought it might make a good photo. Oh boy was she right.
I grabbed camera and we trooped to the bushes. There, clinging to a stalk that was already barren of leaves was a large green caterpillar of a sphinx moth. It was literally covered with small white rice shaped objects. The caterpillar seemed unaware of these attachments as he was munching on the last leaf on the plant stalk.
The 'eggs' are actually cocoons...if you look closely at the photo you can see the paper like structure. These are most likely of a parasitic braconid wasp, Apanteles. The adult female wasp inserts her eggs beneath the skin of the sphinx moth caterpillar. The eggs hatch and the young feed on the innards of the caterpillar until they pupate as shown in the photo.
I would like to say that this caterpillar is one of the insect pests that destroy a lot of our plant life. Parasitic wasps are beneficial because they parasitize caterpillar pest. It just so happens that in this case momma wasp chose a real beauty that is not a problem at all. That’s nature and that’s the way it is; what can I say.
How soft a Caterpillar steps-
I found one on my hand
From such a velvet world it comes
Such plushes at command
Its soundless travels just arrest
My slow - terrestrial eye
Intent upon its own career
What use has it for me -
Emily Dickenson
Poor little caterpillar.
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