Caterpillar Identification
A Quick Guide To Caterpillar Identification
Caterpillar identification is not a subject to be mastered in one sitting, as there are experts in the field of this study who have yet to learn each species by heart. When curiosity demands, however, and you must know whether the insect you see is beneficial or to the detriment of that which you care for, this quick guide mat be just the thing that you’re after. First things first, it is important to note that no smooth caterpillar has ever been tested poisonous or otherwise harmful to humans. Caterpillars do not carry disease or unclean germs, and are basically on the earth to eat. Eat what? Well, unfortunately, most caterpillars have a wide array of preferred foods, and these all too often include the ones that we enjoy as well!
Caterpillar identification is easiest when we group them based on common traits and likenesses, such as body type and protrusions. The smooth group, which would include any caterpillar which has no bristles or “hair”, is commonly considered as not harmful to humans and pets, but there are quite a few garden pests included here as well. Such caterpillars as the tomato hornworm, the tobacco hornworm, the damaging looper species, and many sphinx species are included here, all of which can be quite a handful in the garden. Be not troubled, however, as there are more non threats in this group as there are pests. The monarch is one of the most common and beautiful specimens along the lines of caterpillar identification, and he is a proud member of the smooth family. Also the viceroy, the queen, and a few of the swallowtail caterpillars join in the fleshy category.
The next step to proper caterpillar identification will be to decipher which bristled, or hairy, caterpillars are a danger to us upon contact. The wooly bear and yellow caterpillars are two fine examples of the harmless and somewhat adorable hairy larvae in the wilds of your back yard, but so is the venomous saddleback. He is not difficult to pick out of a crowd, and should be avoided. As his name suggests, his brown fuzzy underneath is met by a large, rectangular patch of green adorning his back. In the middle of this blanket is a brown oval which is trimmed in white. He has two sets of hairy horns, one at the front and one at the rear. Don’t think that you can touch his middle without catching these venomous hairs, as he can move rather quickly when antagonized.
The venom pumped out the saddlebacks hairs is likened in strength to that of a hornet, and the hairs are released and left in the skin once contact has been made. This, of course, keeps the venom pumping, and the discomfort will not begin to subside until this minute barbs are removed. To do this, gently pull them up with a piece of tape.