Caterpillars of 2023 – The Rest

Today I’m finishing up with the remaining cats of late summer and autumn hunting trips of 2023 from an assortment of families.

Walnut Sphinx Moth (Amorpha juglandis) Sphingidae, Hodges#7287
These are among my favorites. Not only are they quite handsome when viewed up close, but they are one of the few caterpillars with a voice! Be prepared if you handle or otherwise disturb them; they will let out a surprising squeak when they feel threatened.

Curve-lined Angle (Diagrammia continuata) Geometridae, Hodges#6362
Casey and I observed that the juniper hairstreaks (Callophrys gryneus) had a bumper year this year while hiking in glades early in the season. We thought this might be the year to finally find the fantastic larvae of this species. We spent several hours beat-sheeting the red cedars in these areas in late summer and early fall. No luck in finding that species, but we did find another inconspicuous cat that uses this plant as its host. You can probably see that, like the hairstreak, the caterpillars of this moth species would be next to impossible to find without the use of a beat-sheet.

Undescribed Flower Moth (Schinia nr-jaguarina) Noctuidae, Hodges#11132.01
I shared photos of this yet to be described species before. These are photos of the cats we found at a new location, Horn’s Prairie Grove LWR, in central Illinois.

Red-lined Panopoda (Panopoda rufimargo) Erebidae, Hodges#8587
An interesting cat we found while beet-sheeting a hickory thicket on a friend’s property in St. Francois County.

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) Papilionoidea
Conspicuous and distasteful due to the absorbed secondary chemicals of their pipevine host, it seems like we always find these guys in low-light situations, making the use of supplemental light a necessity.

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) Papilionoidea
My favorite swallowtail species. It was a real treat finding this final instar cat back in September.