A Looong Story With A Lappet Moth Pt 2

[AlP]

As I said before no fancy images just documentary snap shots. Anyway, not sure where I left off but 49 eggs layed, 49 caterpillars hatched and a couple of scrawny poplar trees with leaves for food. After being born the caterpillars measured 4mm.

A week later, June 8, they are now averaging 7mm and eating poplar leaves.

By June 15 they are now averaging 20mm and not getting much bigger.

Something cute about caterpillar feet (prolegs). This one managed to stay still (5x, 12 steps at 80µm).

Not sure why this one didn't "cocoon" on a leaf like everybody else. Anyway a casing which is 20mm long. One of the first to cocoon on June 30.

The last to cocoon on July 4, 2020. Left, normal lighting, right, backlit to see inside the cocoon (1x, 10 steps at 600µm). Now I have 49 cocooned caterpillars. They are set inside a plastic container where they are going to spend the winter outside under the deck.

Sorry, but there is more to the story...

[rjlittlefield]

Nice!

In the closeup of the prolegs, it looks like literally one hair moved while you were shooting the stack. I'm looking near the right edge, a little above center, the sharply waved one.

--Rik

[Lou Jost]

Nice set. I tried to stack some proleg shots a while ago and learned the hard way that caterpillars breathe, even when sitting still.

[MarkSturtevant]

Very good! I had photographed either this or a related species a while ago. A strange caterpillar, as it is capable of pressing its hairs down tight to conceal its shadow while sitting on a twig. They magically disappear that way!