"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
Yes! In what is likely one of the last good weekends of the 2024 season, the WGNSS Nature Photography Group headed back to Kaintuck Hollow where we found this final instar Acronicta funeralis (paddle caterpillar/funerary dagger), Noctuidae, feeding on Acer negundo (box elder). I recently shared photos of this species in one of its mid-instars.
Acronicta funeralis (paddle caterpillar/funerary dagger) final instar larvae in the typical “J pose,” often seen when they are resting or disturbed.
We have maybe one or two good weekends left for this season so maybe we’ll find something else. Either way, I’m preparing my list for hopeful species to find next season.
Acronicta funeralis (paddle caterpillar/funerary dagger) final instar larvae
I’m pleased to say I found a “holy grail” caterpillar species this year. Unfortunately, at the time, I did not know what I had found. On July 13th, while searching right off a parking lot at Huzzah Conservation Area in Crawford County, MO, I found this smallish bird poop mimic caterpillar. I knew I had seen this one in photos before, but on this day I had left my field guides at home and I was in an area with absolutely no cell phone coverage.
Mid instar of Acronicta funeralis (paddle caterpillar)
After getting back home, I identified this as a member of the Noctuidae family – Acronicta funeralis, aka the paddle caterpillar. It gets its common name from the paired paddlelike subdorsal setae that are present on the final instar of the caterpillar. I really wish I had known what I had found at the time. I would have brought this guy home to rear in order to get photos of the final instar of this cat. This species is rare enough that it might be the one and only that I find, but I think if I try hard enough, others will come in time.
Mid instar of Acronicta funeralis (paddle caterpillar)
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 