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What is a caterpillar?
A caterpillar is the larval stage of a moth or butterfly. It is the second part of their four-stage life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, adult). Caterpillars have long, worm-like bodies with six true legs. They can also have a variable number of stumpy false legs (called prolegs), which help them to move and cling to things.
Caterpillars can change dramatically from when they first hatch to when they’re ready to pupate. Some can increase their body mass 10,000-fold in just a few weeks – that’s like a baby growing to the size of a sperm whale! Many look very different as they grow, so we’ve described the larger stages of the caterpillar’s growth, when they’re often more obvious.
Which caterpillars am I likely to see?
Many of these caterpillars are most obvious when they’re fully grown and looking for a place to either pupate or settle down for the winter, though some are easily spotted on their favourite food plants.
Drinker moth
When & where: August-June. A variety of habitats including gardens, but especially damp grassland, marshes and boggy areas.
Description: Up to 7 cm long. Dark and covered with brown hairs and golden speckles. A row of white hairs runs down each side of the body.
Black caterpillars
Black caterpillars are insects that come in all shapes and sizes. All species of caterpillars belong to the order of insects called Lepidoptera. After hatching from an egg, caterpillars gorge on a diet of plant and tree leaves. Many types of black caterpillars are interesting to look at and some look quite scary. Some species of caterpillars are black and fuzzy with hair-like spines. Other common black caterpillars have vibrant orange or yellow markings.
Even though some black caterpillars may look unsightly and unappealing, they turn into beautiful butterflies or moths. For example, the Monarch caterpillar is black with white and yellow tiger-like stripes. After the pupal stage, this caterpillar turns into the stunning Monarch butterfly.
Most silky black caterpillars are harmless and don’t sting, even though they may look menacing. Many of the big black fuzzy caterpillar species have spines and setae (fine bristles) that can be irritating. Although these black worms look hairy and fluffy, they can have spines that give a nasty sting.
green caterpillar with black spikes
Green caterpillars are some of the most commonly recognizable crawling insects in the wild. All types of caterpillars, including green ones, gorge on a diet of plant and tree leaves. Some of the largest and fattest insects in the Lepidoptera order are green caterpillars. Green caterpillars are identified by their size, specific markings, spines or spikes, and plant food they feed on.
Caterpillars are larvae before they turn into moths or butterflies. Most species of green caterpillars have smooth bodies and are completely harmless. Although green caterpillars aren’t poisonous, some have spikes or spines that can give you a nasty sting. In fact, one green caterpillar species even spits acid! So, it is always better to identify the caterpillar species before picking one up.
Green Caterpillar Identification
When trying to identify types of caterpillars, it’s good to remember that they go through different stages of growth. Sometimes, baby larvae of green caterpillars can look different from mature caterpillars.
One of the larger green caterpillar species is the Emperor moth caterpillar (Saturnia pavonia). This caterpillar is from the Saturniidae family of insects.
As immature larvae, this caterpillar species is black and orange. In its later stages, it turns green. You can identify this caterpillar by its black rings around the segments that feature orange and yellow spots. Looking up closely, you will notice tufts of tiny black hairs.
This is not a poisonous or stinging type of caterpillar. But, the spines are stiff and sharp and may cause some skin irritation.
Identifying features
A large plump green caterpillar with rows of yellow dots wrapping around each segment.