#Eastern Tent Caterpillar

[onenicebugperday]

@dweebpheles submitted: Fairly certain these are eastern tent moth caterpillars, but I just wanted to share the little guys :,)

They are! I love them :)

[chameleocoonj]

eastern tent caterpillar + Georgia flat-backed millipede

[talekinesis]

Tent caterpillars!!

I was skateboarding with my cousin and we came across them by a creek

I initially thought they were webworms, but they tend to come out in the fall, while tent caterpillars come out in the spring

this is what they'll look like grown up

[wadesart]

the eastern tent caterpillar 🐛

[thebekashow]

we used to have these caterpillars back where I lived. they were known as "Eastern Tent caterpillars"

and i decided to look up what they look like once they turn into a moth.

ITS SO FLUFFYYYY OUGHHHH ;A;

not a single thought behind them eyes either AUGH

[grollow]

A little lad visited today

[mylifesatypo]

4.15.24. Made a friend in the yard🐛🌿

[4ddi3addie2005]

What I been onnn 🕷️🐛

Some critters I met over Easter break <3 I held ALL OF THEM. Here’s a fellla that I was scared to hold cuz I read they were aggressive that found me anyway… I shouldn’t have jumped but I got spooked,,

I love jumping spiders and their big eyes and little grabby hands. You should trust them.

Ohohoho

And here’s something I was GONNA submit but I didn’t like it idk

K byeee

[jupiterswasphouse]

EASTERN TENT CATERPILLAR SEASON STARTS NOW

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Eastern Tent Caterpillar and Forest Tent Caterpillar - Malacosoma americana & Malacosoma disstria

At first glance, these two insects might be mistaken for each other, leading to much confusion and speculation over how worried one should be over the surrounding foliage! So, which insect is which? Picture 1 gives a glimpse at the Eastern Tent Caterpillar while Pictures 2 and 3 are of the Forest Tent Caterpillar. They easiest way to tell them apart is to look at the line going across their backs from head to abdominal tip. The Eastern Caterpillar’s dorsal line is a firm, solid line while the Forest Caterpillar’s line is separated across body segments. Furthermore, the Forest Caterpillar’s body has the appearance of greater predominance of blue while the Eastern Caterpillar’s blue is more obscured by the hairs (with golden hues) dotted along the body. Finally, the Eastern Caterpillar has a dark colored face and the Forest Caterpillar has a bright face of a bluish hue. Those are the physical differences, but there are also differences in their nesting habits which are discussed below. For now, whichever Caterpillar you find on your travels, handle with care as the hairs have the potential to be irritating on contact with skin. Nothing happened to me when I handled the Forest specimen, but I still advice caution. When it comes to hairy Caterpillars and their effects, there’s a world of difference between Woolly Bears and White-Marked Tussock Caterpillars! The insects of today’s post are somewhere in the middle. Now about those nesting habits... 

When it comes to Tent Caterpillars, they are quite social and tend to group up within silken structures (sadly not seen here) near to the foliage they eat. Unlike Spindle Moth Caterpillars which use their silk to bind plants together, Tent Caterpillars use available structures on trees and plants as foundations foor their silk. Eastern Caterpillars spin true tents to live in that are among the largest within Lasiocampidae (a Moth family branch), while Forest Caterpillars create mats and paths with their silk, lining trees with that for adhesion while they feed. The former do share some habits of nest construction with the aforementioned Spindle Caterpillars: build it with sunlight in mind to ensure beneficial heat, and use the nest to avoid predation. However, these Caterpillars here may have gotten lost or fell from their tree. What you see in the pictures before you isn’t the norm, which tends to be outbreaks that congregate on foliage, leading to voracious feeding! Isolation tends to happen when it’s time to pupate (grouping up while in a vulnerable state would just be an invitation for a hungry predator) or if individuals fall from a tree when silk production thins out , especially for the Forest Caterpillar. Silk may thin out temporarily, but on the final instar, every bit of silk that was conserved goes into cocoon production.   

The Forest Tent Caterpillar’s pictures were taken on July 2, 2016 in Wasaga and the Eastern Tent Caterpillar’s picture was taken June 10, 2017 at the Royal Botanical Gardens; both insects were captured with a Samsung Galaxy S4. Next week, a third Caterpillar making a guest appearance in the Eastern Tent Caterpillar’s picture (the Fall Cankerworm) will be explored. 

[onenicebugperday]

No id needed for this little dude, just wanted to share this little guy I saw in my grandpa's driveway. Moved them to a tree in the yard so they wouldn't get run over or anything :)

I'm glad you kept this child from becoming a pancake :) now they can become a beautiful moth instead....

[acrocinus]

Malacosoma americanum (eastern tent caterpillar) i found this guy on a tree after not seeing any caterpillars this year :) i was so happy

photo by me

[psuedo-nymph]

the first eastern tent caterpillars of the season decided to show up the evening before a big storm, so I just spent the last 30 minutes running around outside in my pajamas, collecting the little shits in a tupperware container so I could deposit them in the pear tree in front of my house.

here’s the cute little bastards. they’re very social creatures, so it’s alright to put em all together. they’re typically considered a “pest species” but they don’t gather in very large groups where I live, so the pear tree won’t be burdened.

I know I didn’t have to go out of my way for them, but they are one of my favorite parts of spring. and plus they’re good native bugs for good native birds and also they’re just really goddamn adorable.

I’m gonna start a Caterpillars I Put on the Pear Tree tally, because last year there was quite a lot. today marks just 4, but I’ll be going out again tomorrow.

[thestarlightforge]

Some of my favorite bugs, including from around where I grew up 🥰

Jumping spiders

Black swallowtail (my favorite butterfly)

Eastern tent caterpillar (so fuzzy!)

And an honorary shoutout to carpenter bees, all my homies love native pollinators

IMPORTANT

[insleywinsley]

Eastern Tent Caterpillar, W. E. Britton. 1935.

[hushcaringdemons]

I miss seeing these guys. I'd pet them as a child. So squishy and velvety.

eastern tent caterpillar

Malacosoma americanum