JungleDragon is a nature and wildlife community for photographers, travellers and anyone who loves nature. We're genuine, free, ad-free and beautiful.

Join

Spiky black caterpillars Sagebrush sheep moth - while other species may look similar they do not occur in this area :) Geotagged,Hemileuca hera,Spring,United States Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Spiky black caterpillars

Sagebrush sheep moth - while other species may look similar they do not occur in this area :)

    comments (6)

  1. View WildFlower's profile
    WildFlower
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Euphydryas caterpillars have some yellow spikes.
    http://butterfliesofamerica.com/t/Euphydryas_editha_a.htm
    http://butterfliesofamerica.com/t/Euphydryas_chalcedona_a.htm     Posted 9 years ago
    1. View morpheme's profile
      morpheme
      Lion
      View Lion class
      I'm not sure if it's true of these species, but I was looking at early instars of other checkerspots and they did appear to be completely black. There are also some moth caterpillars that also look very much like this too though, so there's a range of things they could be. I've got a BugGuide ID request in, but I think it will be a tough one. Posted 9 years ago
      1. View RMFelix's profile
        RMFelix
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Great! the plant they were feeding on is really a great starting point to determine or exclude possibilites. Empirically I would say, like Wildflower, that they are Euphydryas sp.. I believe that are keys to determine species, but those are more difficult to be released. Nonetheless, is a beautiful moment and a great photo, a clear glimpse of the life cycle of a butterfly, a beautiful one, like all of them! ;) Cheers* Posted 9 years ago
  3. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Now that's a spiky scene! There are two, right? Any idea what they are doing? Posted 9 years ago
    1. View morpheme's profile
      morpheme
      Lion
      View Lion class
      There's two. I'd make a guess they just happened to be near one another because they hatched from the same batch of eggs. Posted 9 years ago
      1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
        Ferdy Christant
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Just crossing, alright :) Posted 9 years ago

Sign in or Join in order to comment.

The Hemileuca hera

''Hemileuca hera'', the sagebrush sheep moth or Hera buckmoth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. It is found in North America from southern Saskatchewan west to British Columbia, south to Arizona and New Mexico.

The wingspan is 71–93 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September depending on the location.

The larvae of ''Hemileuca hera hera'' feed on ''Artemisia tridentata'', ''A. tripartita'', ''Lupinus''.. more

Info 1 0
Similar species: Moths And Butterflies
Species identified by morpheme
View morpheme's profile

By morpheme

All rights reserved
Uploaded May 2, 2016. Captured Apr 30, 2016 11:28 in Beacon Ridge Rd, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA.
country flag of United States of America Explore United States of America 39,948 9,641 8
  • X-E1
  • f/1.0
  • 1/250s
  • ISO200
  • 50mm