Page 1 of 2
What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:08 am
by SpookyShoe
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:49 am
by Growing Coastal
It's a psychedelic something or other. Lovely pattern. I hope it's a friendly.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:02 pm
by SpookyShoe
It looks like it might be some kind of tent caterpillar. Maybe a forest tent caterpillar??
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:22 pm
by SpookyShoe
0327201211.jpg
How about this one, on rosemary?
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:29 pm
by worth1
Winston Churchill
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:21 pm
by MissS
Your first photo is a Forest Tent Caterpillar aka a Gypsy Moth. They sometimes stick together and travel in herds. Common throughout the USA and not necessarily one of the good ones. In groups they can seriously defoliate a tree.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:50 pm
by arnorrian
Isn't the gypsy moth caterpillar more spiky?

Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:28 pm
by Nan6b
American gypsy moth versus European gypsy moth?
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:58 pm
by arnorrian
According to Wikipedia forest tent caterpillar moth and gypsy moth are separate species. Gypsy moth is European in origin, and invasive in America. It's a horrible pest, destroying whole forests. There used to be work actions here when it goes wild. And is dangerous to humans too, and must not be touched.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:12 pm
by Nan6b
Tent caterpillars can be handled with impunity. I used to play with them as a kid.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:56 pm
by SpookyShoe
I did some research and I'm pretty sure the green one is a Speckled Green Fruitworm.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 10:27 am
by Setec Astronomy
We went through a gypsy moth crisis here in NJ about 40 years ago, then it petered out (there was a pretty big regional effort to rein them in). Also 20-25 years ago we used to have horrible tent caterpillar problems where I work, I remember bringing in some BT from home and spraying. That seems to have gone away also...maybe the trees they liked just died from being defoliated, LOL.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 11:04 am
by worth1
I had the web worms or tent caterpillar problem on a Texas Mountain laurel and used raid on them.
Worked like a charm.
As soon as the mist hit them you would have thought someone turned on rockabilly music and the dance began.

Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 1:02 pm
by Setec Astronomy
We went through a gypsy moth crisis here in NJ about 40 years ago, then it petered out (there was a pretty big regional effort to rein them in). Also 20-25 years ago we used to have horrible tent caterpillar problems where I work, I remember bringing in some BT from home and spraying. That seems to have gone away also...maybe the trees they liked just died from being defoliated, LOL.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 1:35 pm
by SpookyShoe
This lizard is black!
0328201151b.jpg
0328201150e.jpg
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 3:14 pm
by bower
Lizard may take care of those caterpillars?

That first one is so pretty... I always think the pretty caterpillars are the butterfiies but I guess not.
That big green one reminds me of the swallowtail. But missing the necktie and fake eyes.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 3:02 pm
by SpookyShoe
0603201417.jpg
Almost overnight many holes appeared on my Snow White tomato plant leaves.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 3:32 pm
by worth1
Army worms looks like to me.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 3:48 pm
by karstopography
[mention]SpookyShoe[/mention] I’ve been picking those very worms off my tomatoes, Roma and Top Gun especially. Those are sort of the mid sized ones, they get bigger.
Re: What is this creature?
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 4:14 pm
by karstopography
[mention]SpookyShoe[/mention] I’ve been picking those very worms off my tomatoes, Roma and Top Gun especially. Those are sort of the mid sized ones, they get bigger.
That black lizard above is a Brown Anole, an invader from Florida. I’ve recently noticed them in my garden, don’t really know how long they have been around. Florida isn’t even the native range of the Brown Anole, I read Cuba and the West Indies is the original home. But, wherever they are from, they are displacing our local Green Anoles.