Oleander Moth Caterpillars

Lutz, FL(Zone 9b)

Doing what they do best... making a huge mess of an Oleander!

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Lutz, FL(Zone 9b)

Some of the destruction

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Panhandle, FL(Zone 8a)

What does the moth look like?

Lutz, FL(Zone 9b)

They’re really pretty. I couldn’t find a really good picture of one when I went searching. Here’s one anyway http://woodypest.ifas.ufl.edu/1003.htm and here’s a paraphrased excerpt from 'Florida’s Fabulous Butterflies':

The Oleander Moth aka the Polka Dot Wasp is a distinctive day-flying wasp moth. It has dark, metallic-blue wings with white spots. Its body is also metallic-blue and the abdomen has pairs of white spots and a red tip. The caterpillar feeds on poisonous Oleander and is probably protected by the poisons it ingests.

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