I have these big hornworms that are falling out of my ash trees. Anyone know what they are, and what they turn into?
This is the side. This one was about 3 1/2 inches long.
More IDs
Here it is from the top... kind of reddish.
Here is a butterfly that I saw today. I've had tons of monarchs this year, but I noticed from a distance that this one was smaller... oh, wait, it's not a monarch! I've never seen one of these in my yard before, and it wouldn't let me get close enough for a good zoom. But I am hoping someone will tell me it's a gulf fritillary.
Here's a top view.
It looks like a Waved Sphinx Moth cat, he'll be a very pretty moth.
That does look like a Gulf Frit to me! Yay
Okay, running off to look up the waved sphinx moth. Thanks!
Bug Files says that ashes are hosts for these moths... and it just happens to be my ash trees that these are falling out of. So I'm sure that's what they are. These guys don't do any harm, do they? I mean, other than dive-bombing you as you walk under the trees. And leaving lots of very large caterpillar poop on anything else under the trees (LOL).
No, they don't do any harm except what you mentioned.....just wear a hat LOL
They'll pupate in the soil, probably emerge in the spring and then crawl back up into the trees to eat, and poop.
The adults most likely don't eat, they just mate and then die, kinda sad.
Thanks for posting that...and thank you for the ID, fly_girl! I had posted a pic of that one also and nobody tried to ID it. They are also in an Arizona Ash here. The cats didn't fall on me, but the frass got my attention. Now everytime I walk under the tree I think...oh, might be frass falling...
Just think of it as free, slow-release fertilizer. I actually have a butterfly book that mentions how caterpillars don't get enough credit for all the fertilizer they add to the forest floor. I keep telling myself I need to get another compost pail just for frass...
Melanie
...free, slow-release fertilizer?! Mellie - You are toooooooo funny!!! But will admit when I clean out the caterpillar cages I toss the frass into the nearby potted plants :o) Momma didn't raise no fool!
~ Cat
I save my plant material and frass for my compost pile from my cages.
Patti.... Great shots of the caterpillar. Please add them to the bug files. They only have the moth there.
Congrats on the Gulf Frit too! Do you have passion vine in your yard for them?
Sheila, I just have one baby passi that Beck gave me in June, and it's not even planted yet. It hasn't been eaten, and I haven't found any eggs on it. Same with my little butterfly milkweed, also new this year. I have dozens of monarchs, but no eggs.
I did see 2 more gulf frits in my yard today. Maybe they've been there all along and I just never noticed. Apparently they really like the cypress vine that eats my whole yard about this time every year.
I'll add the hornworm photos to the bug files. Wish I'd gotten one with a scale object. They're really huge!
Get that passiflora in the ground so it can aclimate for winter. I had tried to keep one in a pot in a sunny window one year and it died on me. Mine outside do fine and some don't even loose all their leaves.
Oh, yeah, I will. I have several things that need to be planted this week.
I was at our Farmer's Market in Central Texas today and found a 4"long fat hairy caterpillar walking along on the ground. It wasn't near any plants but was under an Oak Tree. It has a big tan face. I put it in a jar with dirt leaves and sticks. It is buring itself in the dirt. Any idea what it is?
Without a picture it would be very hard to id. Here is a site that you may find it on. Look at the caterpillar images. It is more than likely a moth of some kind if it is hairy. http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
I know a picture would help. However, I can't figure out how to use the computer or the digital camara! I just found the battery and it needs to be charged. I have my kids help me but they go from laughing at me to sighing in sheer disgust that they might truely be related to me. I'm so much better with DIRT. Anyway, the huge green caterpillar has buried itself. It looks like a tomato worm (no horn) with a winter coat. I think it is probably related to a Spinx moth so I will have this jar in my kitchen tell next spring. Thank you for the link. I will look it up.