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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Erebidae » Tiger and Lichen Moths (Arctiinae) » Tiger Moths (Arctiini) » Spilosomina » Spilosoma » Virginian Tiger Moth - Hodges#8137 (Spilosoma virginica)
Photo#496350
Hairy White Caterpillars on Wildrye - Spilosoma virginica
Copyright © 2011 Sara Tangren

Hairy White Caterpillars on Wildrye - Spilosoma virginica
Bethlehem, Caroline County, Maryland, USA
October 3, 2009
Size: about 2"
This caterpillar was working his silk lines up and down the spike of this wildrye (grass). We're working with conservation plantings of the grass (Elymus glabriflorus), so I'd love to know who the caterpillar is and why he's making such a fuss over the seed head. Thanks!

sunny, moist mesic field

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Hairy White Caterpillars on Wildrye - Spilosoma virginica Hairy White Caterpillars on Wildrye - Spilosoma virginica Hairy White Caterpillars on Wildrye - Spilosoma virginica
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Contributed by Sara Tangren on 7 March, 2011 - 9:12pm
Last updated 9 March, 2011 - 8:58am

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Sara Tangren, 9 March, 2011 - 8:58am login or register to post comments

Thanks
Thanks Kelly and Martin, that sure looks right, and it's exactly what I needed to know - he's a generalist. Grows up to be darned good lookin, too! I will move the caterpillar to his proper location in the guide.
… Sara Tangren, 9 March, 2011 - 8:58am login or register to post comments

moth
larva can be white.brown ,yellow,rusty up to 4.5 cm feed on over 40 types of plant small trees ,tree,ribes,lettuce,gramineae etc
probably Spilosoma virginica not much info on Caterpillars lots unknown .One way to know is to reare it
… Martin Turgeon, 8 March, 2011 - 10:46pm login or register to post comments

Looks like
Virginian Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica)

Sorry I can't offer any insight about its behavior
… Kelly Fiegle, 8 March, 2011 - 4:06am login or register to post comments

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