Hungry Horde
by terranovabay
Newly hatched Atala caterpillars start their ravenous journey to eat their way through the Coontie plants leading to their metamorphosis to butterflies.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala, butterfly, caterpillar, Coontie
Tag: caterpillar
Spiked Vegetarian
by terranovabay
Zebra Longwing caterpillars endlessly feeding on their larval host plant, the Passionflower Vine.
Categories: Nature • Tags: caterpillar, Heliconius charithonia, passionflower vine, Zebra Longwing
Caterpillar Crisis
by terranovabay
A horde of Zebra Longwing larvae come together on the few leaves left on the passionflower vine they have mostly consumed. Once these leaves are gone these caterpillars will have to come up with a new plan for a meal. It looks like they may have some traveling in their future.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Heliconius charithonia, ORCA, Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, passionflower vine, Zebra Longwing
Camo Chrysalis
by terranovabay
The Zebra Longwing caterpillar from a previous post has formed it chrysalis. A marvel of evolutionary camouflage giving the appearance of a dead leaf making for a safe place to undergo metamorphosis while fooling potential predators with its uninvolving appearance.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Chrysalis, Heliconius charithonia, Zebra Longwing
Forthcoming Chrysalis
by terranovabay
A Zebra Longwing caterpillar prepares to shed its skin and form a chrysalis on its way to metamorphosing into a butterfly in the Audubon House pollinator garden at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Heliconius charithonia, ORCA, Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, Zebra Longwing
Born Anew
by terranovabay
Newly emerged from the chrysalis hanging next to it, a fat red-and-yellow caterpillar has undergone metamorphosis to turn into this Atala butterfly colorful in its own right. The bright red on the wings and the orange abdomen are warnings to would-be predators that they may find the Atala a bit unpalatable due to the toxins it has incorporated into its body from its larval host plant, the prehistoric Coontie.
Categories: Nature • Tags: Atala butterfly, caterpillar, Coontie, Eumaeus atala, ORCA, Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area
Giant Woolly Bear
by terranovabay
The larva of the Great Leopard Moth is called the Giant Woolly Bear for its large, hairy appearance. The caterpillar is primarily nocturnal and feeds on a wide variety of plants but is often seen crossing roads during the day on its way to new foraging grounds.
Categories: Nature • Tags: caterpillar, Giant Woolly Bear, Great Leopard Moth, Hypercompe scribonia, T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area
Monarch Larva
by terranovabay
With very distinctive stripes, a Monarch butterfly larva gorges on milkweed in the final days before forming a chrysalis to begin the metamorphosis into a butterfly. Seen in the butterfly garden at Audubon House at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area.
Categories: Nature • Tags: butterfly, caterpillar, Danaus plexippus, Florida, Indian River County, larva, Monarch
Caterpillar Cafe
by terranovabay
A Loggerhead Shrike makes a meal out of a juicy caterpillar.
Categories: Nature • Tags: caterpillar, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike
