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Caterpillar Varieties

Insects are the transformers of the natural world. Their life cycle is conducted in stages where the young insect can change into an entirely different sort of animal. Caterpillars are the larval stage of insects that undergo metamorphosis to become moths or butterflies.

Belonging to the order Lepidoptera, there are more than 140,000 species that spend part of their lives as caterpillars. They begin life as eggs laid by the adult moth or butterfly, live as caterpillars for a time and then encase themselves inside a cocoon to undergo metamorphosis.

Caterpillar Pests
- Caterpillars are common garden pests.
  
  Caterpillars have voracious appetites and spend the majority of their lives eating. Some caterpillar varieties devour the leaves of trees and shrubs. Caterpillar pests that eat the leaves of fruit and nut trees can be a serious problem for farmers. Yellow necked caterpillars, walnut caterpillars and the fall web worm feed on the leaves of pecan trees and fruit trees such as apple and persimmon.
  
  Caterpillars can also pose a threat to row crops like corn and beans. Corn ear worms, woolly bears and velvetbean caterpillars and the larvae of diamondback moths are all commonly found in the garden.
Toxic Caterpillars
- Monarch butterfly caterpillars eat plants that make them toxic.
  
  Most caterpillars are harmless, but some varieties have evolved potent defense mechanisms to protect themselves from predators. Humans see brightly colored caterpillars and butterflies as pretty, but predators have learned that those bright colors can mean trouble.
  
  Caterpillar varieties such as the Monarch absorb toxins from the plants they eat and store them in their bodies. This makes the caterpillar taste bad to predatory birds. The bright colors on the caterpillars and in the wings of a butterfly serve to warn predators.
Stinging Caterpillars
- Hollow spines on a caterpillar can contain venom.
  
  While some caterpillar varieties use bright colors and bad tasting chemicals to protect themselves, others have evolved a more direct defense mechanism --- they sting! Caterpillars don't deliver venom with a sting like wasps and bees do. Instead, caterpillar varieties like the larva of the buck moth, flannel moth and the Io moth possess hollow spines along the back. The spines are attached to poison gland cells, and when touched, break off releasing the venom.
  
  The pus moth caterpillar, a species of flannel moth, is the most dangerous stinging caterpillar in North America. The venom of the pus moth caterpillar poses a serious health risk to anyone who comes in contact with it. Throbbing pain and severe burning rash are often accompanied by headache and nausea.
Baby Giants
- Atlas moth caterpillars can reach the size of a hotdog.
  
  There are a couple of varieties of caterpillar that develop into giants of the insect world. The caterpillars of Atlas moths can grow to the size of a large hot dog and make cocoons more than four inches long. After metamorphosis is completed, an adult Atlas moth with a wingspan more than a foot wide will emerge from the cocoon.
  
  The caterpillar of the Queen Alexandra's Bird Wing butterfly is the larval stage of the world's largest butterfly. Found in New Guinea, the giant butterfly also has a wingspan of more than 12 inches and is toxic to predators.

Insects & Science