#isabella tiger moths

[antiqueanimals]

Ranger Rick's Nature Magazine; January 1967 edition. Illustration by Bob Hines.

Internet Archive

[vincentbriggs]

I made a little wooly bear caterpillar. I was inspired by The Closet Historian's moth brooch video to learn turkey stitch, and I tried brushing it with a wire brush, which really fluffed it up a lot more. I had to trim it a little bit more after the brushing.

All the materials were from my stash, and I didn't time it but it took quite a few hours. I wish I'd used a thinner fabric because this felted coat wool was a bit tough to sew through, and didn't want to bend into a rounded caterpillar shape.

I'm quite happy with it, it turned out so cute! It's a bit bigger than a real one.

[moths-daily]

have you done the Isabella Tiger moth ? they're one of my favs :D

Moth Of The Day #171

Isabella Tiger Moth

Pyrrhactia isabella

From the erebidae family. They have a wingspan of 45-65 mm. They inhabit deciduous woodlands and prairies. They can be found in in the United States and southern Canada.

Image sources: [1] [2]

[notjustbees]

[sodapop--stims]

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

for anon (cloud slime)

X - X - X

X - X - X

X - X - X

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[zoology-time]

Isabella Tiger Moth (caterpillar), Pyrrharctia isabella

[overdoso]

Lagarta de Pyrrharctia isabella, também conhecida como isabella tiger moth (traça-tigre isabella) ou woollybear, existente nos Estados Unidos e no sul do Canadá. As lagartas são geralmente cobertas com pelos castanhos em suas regiões médias e pelos pretos em suas áreas anterior e posterior. Na luz solar direta, o pelo castanho parece marrom avermelhado brilhante.

[shinoposting]

trick or treat! have a pic of my fave caterpillar :)

I wasn't expecting Trick-or-Treaters!

Have some candy corn! Or is this a circus peanut?

[pleistocene-pride]

Pyrrharctia isabella, better known as the Isabella tiger moth, whose larval form is called the banded woolly bear, woolly bear, hedgehog caterpillar, or woolly worm, is a species of moth that occurs in the United States and southern Canada. The isabella tiger moth can be found in many cold and temperate regions. The banded woolly bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, by allowing most of its mass to freeze solid. First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes, then its blood, followed by the rest of the body. It survives being frozen by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues. In the spring, it thaws. They are generalist feeders, consuming many plant species, including herbs and trees. Reaching around 1.75 to 2.25 inches (4.44 to 5.72cms) in length, Adult Isabella tiger moths usually rest with the wings held rooflike over their bodies, or else held flat out to the sides. The forewings are yellow or tan, pointed, and often have faint lines and small dark spots. Hindwings are lighter and are orange in females. The bases of the forelegs are reddish orange. As woolly bear caterpillars they are fuzzy with dense, stiff hairs. They are usually black on the ends of the body and rusty red or brownish in the middle. When disturbed, they commonly roll up in a ball. Note that touching the bristles can cause dermatitis in some people. Adults fly about during spring and summer, mating multiple times with multiple partners. Despite being capable of surviving up to 14 years as a caterpillar, the Isabella tiger moth will only spend less than a year of its life as a moth.

[pencilzart]

woolly'd bear

[creepy-crawly-connoisseur]

For my first post i thought id start with a relatively popular bug,

The woolly bear

Pyrrharctia Isabella

The woolly bear, Also known as the woolly worm, is the larval stage of the Pyrrharctia Isabella, or the Isabella tiger moth.

The wooly bear can be identified by its black and orange colors, and its “fuzzy” look, whereas the Isabella tiger moth can be identified by its dull yellowish orange coloring and sparse black spots on its wings.

The wooly bear is commonly found in cold weather around fall when it hatches from its egg and “hibernates” through winter by freezing its mass. It does this by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues (in simpler terms, it freezes its organs and body until spring when it thaws and eventually becomes the Isabella tiger moth). This is why in the winter or late fall you may find a woolly bear thats super stiff, dont worry! its not dead, just hibernating!

As for food, when caterpillars they have chewing mouthparts and eat a wide range of plants, including dandelions, goldenrod,clovers, some grasses, and more, and As moths, they have siphoning mouthparts (proboscis) and drink the nectar from flowers.

They have many predators, like mantids, birds, some small mammals and parasitoids like tachinid flies and braconid wasps

Although moths and their larvae have a bad rap due to species like the gypsy moth, the woolly bear does little to no damage, feeds wildlife, are relatively harmless, as they do not bite or sting. Although you should be cautious if handling a woolly bear as their bristles can cause rashes, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Fun fact: they spend about 90% of their life frozen and are the longest lived caterpillar species on the planet

Personal bug rating: 5/5 ★★★★★

One of my favorite moth species due to how cute they are and how easy they are to take care of

(Do keep in mind this rating is just my personal opinion, you can feel differently about the wooly bear/the Isabella tiger moth, There is no correct answer for how to feel about bugs!)

Thanks for reading and happy bug spotting! if you've got any questions or just want to chat bug stuff feel free to comment or dm me!

If i missed something or messed up a fact please comment and correct me!

Credits:

Both Dividers are from @strangergraphics-archive

[snickeringdragon]

isabella tiger moth!!

[bugsoupforthesoul]

SO MANY WOOLY BEARS ON THIS TRAIL!!! I LOVE THEM!!!

[vulturevalentines]

isabella tiger moth watercolor and gouache collage

[pageturner001]

Little drawing I made of my characters William and Isabela