Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) larva, sans fluff.
Mohican State Park, Ashland County, Ohio, USA.
August 30, 2012.
Okay--enough Harvester cats... Thanks for humouring me--I was just so excited to finally find them. Last one for now.
BTW, these appear to be close to fully grown caterpillars, about 1 inch long. They are able to stretch out and scrunch down to an amazing extent. They appear to be much larger than the adult butterfly's body mass. Pretty amazing creatures!
.
Here's what the caterpillar looks like without his Woolies on.
This was one of the larvae that had dropped off of the branch when they sensed my approach. I'm guessing that's when the Wooly fluff sloughed off. You can see how "hairy" these little guys are. I'm not sure if the Wooly fluff is actually put on by the caterpillars intentionally, or if they're just messy eaters. In any case, the fluff makes for excellent camouflage.
© Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN). All rights reserved. Licensing available. Contact: Jay Cossey, BIObus1@gmail.com
Tags: Ashland Co Butterfly caterpillar Harvester Insecta larva Lepidoptera (Butterflies Moths) Mohican SP Ohio Photographer: Jay Cossey Feniseca tarquinius Carnivorous Wooly Aphid Predator/Prey
© All Rights Reserved
Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) larva eating a Wooly Aphid.
Mohican State Park, Ashland County, Ohio, USA.
August 30, 2012.
It's hard to see, but here's a Harvester actually eating a Wooly. (Hope it tastes better than a cotton ball with a juicy center.)
I still find it hard to believe there's a butterfly that's a predator!
© Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN). All rights reserved. Licensing available. Contact: Jay Cossey, BIObus1@gmail.com
Tags: Ashland Co Butterfly caterpillar Harvester Insecta larva Lepidoptera (Butterflies Moths) Mohican SP Ohio Photographer: Jay Cossey Feniseca tarquinius Wooly Aphid Predator/Prey Carnivorous Extreme closeup Hemiptera (True Bugs) Eriosomatinae
© All Rights Reserved
Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) butterfly larva encountering a (bald) Wooly Aphid (Eriosomatinae).
Mohican State Park, Ashland County, Ohio, USA.
August 30, 2012.
I don't know if this Harvester ate the tiny aphid, but chances are...
Photographs, Text and Videos ©Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN)
All rights reserved. Contact: PhotographsFromNature@gmail.com
My second book, "Familiar Butterflies of Indiana and their Natural History" is now available!
Please check out my first book, "Southern Ontario Butterflies and their Natural History". Now available on Amazon.ca!
www.amazon.ca/Southern-Ontario-Butterflies-Natural-Histor...
Information on both books here:
photographsfromnature.com/butterfly-books
My website: www.PhotographsFromNature.com
Tags: Ashland Co Butterfly caterpillar Harvester Insecta larva Lepidoptera (Butterflies Moths) Mohican SP Ohio Photographer: Jay Cossey Feniseca tarquinius Predator/Prey Wooly Aphid Killer butterfly Carnivorous Eriosomatinae
© All Rights Reserved
Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) caterpillar feeding on Wooly Aphids.
Mohican State Park, Ashland County, Ohio, USA.
August 29, 2012.
The Harvester is North America's only carnivorous butterfly caterpillar. Instead of consuming plants, it grazes on Wooly Aphids. It's hard to imagine a butterfly as a predator!
© Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN). All rights reserved. Licensing available. Contact: Jay Cossey, BIObus1@gmail.com
Tags: Ashland Co Butterfly caterpillar Harvester Insecta larva Lepidoptera (Butterflies Moths) Mohican SP Ohio Photographer: Jay Cossey Feniseca tarquinius Carnivorous Predator/Prey Wooly Aphid Eriosomatinae Hemiptera (True Bugs)
© All Rights Reserved
Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis) and prey Marsh fly.
Mohican State Park, Ashland County, Ohio, USA.
July 25, 2012.
© Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN). All rights reserved. Licensing available. Contact: Jay Cossey, BIObus1@gmail.com
Tags: Insecta Mohican SP Ohio Photographer: Jay Cossey Odonata (Damselflies Dragonflies) Argia apicalis Blue-fronted Dancer Predator/Prey Marsh fly
© All Rights Reserved