THE LEAF EATERS - 5

(A hairy caterpillar with three yellow bumps, Length Approx. 30 mm)

January 15, 2022

A hairy caterpillar was found on a young leaf of a maize plant in the daytime. By the time I saw the caterpillar, it had three yellow bumps towards the head. Its body looked black.

When inspected closely, its body is brownish orange. This caterpillar has a dense coat of long hairs all over its body. The tufts of long hairs are white. It also has two hairy horns protruding above its head.

During the daytime, the caterpillar began to eat from the edges of the leaf. The caterpillar was seen feeding well, on the leaf of the maize plant, while it was staying on the underside of the leaf.

After two days, the number of bumps had increased up to four. Its length was about 30 mm.

I was eager to know, what it would eventually become—a moth or a butterfly. It was not difficult to remove the caterpillar from the plant.

I could have snipped off the damaged leaf to remove the caterpillar as soon as I spotted it.

The following day, I inspected the plant, the stem of the leaf (midrib) remained. The caterpillar had consumed most of the leaf. However, it had not killed the plant. I did not see the caterpillar. Had it turned into a moth? Had a natural enemy fed on the caterpillar? I let my mind wander a little.

Two days later, a moth was seen close to the location where the caterpillar was spotted. However, it was difficult to reach the moth to take a clear picture. The relationship between this moth and the caterpillar is unknown.

The images were captured as it was found happening in nature, and not enhanced using software. Images may be subject to copyright.