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Photo#215696
Excellent Camo! - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis

Excellent Camo! - Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis
Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
August 17, 2008
Size: 2.5 inches
We're quite curious about this master camouflager. We noticed it moving in the evening but when we approached it for a closer look it was still. We decided it was a seed pod blowing in the wind until we saw purposful movement. Over the last couple of days we have observed or noticed more movement (even from one branch to another) and a caterpillar's head emerge from the top to chew and eat more of this tree's leaves. It has also deposited them on the outside of the cocoon. I can't get a clear picture of the caterpillar's head but it is a light yellow (almost white) with a black spotted pattern. The tree on which this pupa is hanging is located in a pot on a deck in a fairly wooded area. Any ideas?

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Not an expert but I believe this is an Evergreen Bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis).

 
thanks!
Thanks for your quick reply! No doubt in my mind it's a bagworm. Interesting stuff....I'd never seen one before!

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