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Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillars - Euchaetes egle These early instar larvae are small, yellow, hairy, and have black heads. They have voracious appetites and can quickly consume entire milkweed leaves.<br />
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Habitat: On milkweed leaves in a rural garden. Euchaetes,Euchaetes egle,Euchaetes egle larvae,Geotagged,Milkweed Tussock Moth,Summer,United States,caterpillar,caterpillars,larvae Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillars - Euchaetes egle

These early instar larvae are small, yellow, hairy, and have black heads. They have voracious appetites and can quickly consume entire milkweed leaves.

Habitat: On milkweed leaves in a rural garden.

    comments (4)

  1. Too cool! I bet you were so excited to see all of these! Posted 7 years ago
    1. Definitely! I wish I had my wide angle lens with me though because there were huge sections of leaves that had nothing left except the veins. It looked really neat. Posted 7 years ago
  2. Nice, what a busy bunch! Posted 7 years ago
    1. Thanks, they certainly were hungry! Posted 7 years ago

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"Euchaetes egle" is a moth in the family Arctiidae. It is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides. These are retained in adults and deter bats, and presumably other predators, from feeding on them. Adults indicate their unpalatability with clicks from their tymbal organs.

Similar species: Moths And Butterflies
Species identified by Christine Young
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By Christine Young

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Uploaded Aug 28, 2018. Captured Jul 17, 2018 09:41 in 281 Main St S, Woodbury, CT 06798, USA.
  • Canon EOS 80D
  • f/8.0
  • 1/256s
  • ISO400
  • 100mm