Do *not* touch this caterpillar!

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rjlittlefield
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Location: Richland, WA, USA
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Do *not* touch this caterpillar!

Post by rjlittlefield »

Image

This is a Sheep Moth caterpillar, Hemileuca hera. It is native to the sagebrush steppe of Eastern Washington and is one of the few animals that will actually eat Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).

Taxonomically speaking, these things belong to the Silkmoth family (Lepidoptera:Saturniidae). But you're not going to get any silk from these fellows -- they pupate underground just about the time things heat up for summer.

Besides which, I doubt that you'd much enjoy raising them. The spines are politely called "urticating", which is to say they sting like crazy on sensitive skin like the back of your hand. The welt lasts about a week for me, itching most of that time.

--Rik

Canon 300D, Sigma 105mm, flash.

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Kind of like our "packsaddles" Rik. A nice "sharp" image of the critter. :D
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Reposts of my images within the galleries are welcome, as are constructive critical critiques.

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crocoite
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Post by crocoite »

We have some nasty ones in Australia too. I vividly remember ducking under a tree branch when I was mowing my lawn in Melbourne, Victoria, about 20 years ago, and having such welts all across my back (hot day, no shirt!). I don't think we have the same ones here in Tasmania, and back then, no digital cameras. :(

Regards
Steve

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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

Nice details on a spectacular caterpillar!
Mike Broderick
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"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul.....My mandate includes weird bugs."--Calvin

(reposts on this site of my images for critique or instruction are welcome)

rjlittlefield
Posts: 727
Joined: Fri May 06, 2005 11:57 pm
Location: Richland, WA, USA
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Post by rjlittlefield »

MikeBinOKlahoma wrote:Nice details on a spectacular caterpillar!
Mike, this picture would be really boring, except for the "detail" aspect. Those spines are sharp!

--Rik
Canon 300D, Olympus Zuiko 38mm bellows macro at f/2.8, stacked from the live caterpillar.

Image

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