Hodges #7058 I did a doubletake when I saw this strange Smartweed flowerstalk, it just didn't look right. Upon closer inspection I noticed the brown caterpillar that was covered with flowers it had bitten off and stuck on its back. Quite a sneaky little rascal! Some insects stick the dried up remains of their prey on their backs, like walking graveyards! Nature is so amazing sometimes! Flowers are a great place to look for insects and spiders.
Hodges #7698 I found this fuzzy blue caterpillar on a tree while hiking at Haw Ridge. It will turn into a brown moth.
I found this mass of tiny caterpillars hatching on the back of a milkweed leaf while I was searching for Monarch caterpillars. I'm sure these are some type of moth caterpillars because of the protective white mass and the fact that butterflies usually lay single eggs or small clusters. I guess moths go by the "safety in numbers" approach. I'll have to watch the plants over the next couple of weeks and see what these little critters turn into. Most newly hatched caterpillars have a large black spot on their head as seen here. (See next photo to see what they turned into!)
