Caterpillars

Recently our friend Ann-Marie emailed inquiring as to the number and variety of caterpillars in our yard (as mentioned in the Wasps post). I replied that I hadn't really spent much time in the yard. We had spent over a month of the summer traveling and when we were home the weather was such that we stayed in the air-conditioned house.

But I told her I'd keep an eye out. And I did.

And here is some of what I found.

One of the first critters I spotted was the poorly named Yellow Bear.

Highly variable in coloration, I believe the above three individuals are all Yellow Bears. With only the last living up to the name.

This rather colorful individual is a Smartweed Caterpillar which turns into the Smeared Dagger Moth.

This Io Moth caterpillar was at the base of one of our side doors onto the deck. I relocated it, carefully as this bristles can be unpleasant, to a more suitable location.

This is the Giant Leopard Moth, in caterpillar form.

I mentioned in the Failure post that we've a number of Monarch Butterflies about the garden. 

We also have the caterpillars munching away on the Milkweed in our gardens.

And finally Black Swallowtail Caterpillars ...

... in multiple instars. 

And there are plenty of butterflies and moths flying in the yard, so I'm sure that are many caterpillars I'm not seeing.

But I'll keep looking.