15 Remarkable Types of Caterpillars and What They Become
2
of 10
Hickory Horned Devil (Regal Moth) Caterpillar
Green and black hickory horned devil caterpillar with orange/red spikes on a green leaf
Weber / Getty Images
The hickory horned devil looks menacing, but it’s just a harmless giant caterpillar. One of the largest caterpillars in North America, hickory horned devils can grow to over five inches in length. Everything about them—from their startling turquoise-green bodies arrayed with black spikes to their prickly orange horns—can invoke fear in the uninitiated. Turns out, it's all a ruse.
These giants, found in eastern U.S. forests, are about as gentle as they come. After feasting on the leaves of hickory, ash, persimmon, sycamore, and walnut trees, they burrow a few inches into the ground in late summer. (They're one of the few moth caterpillars that don't spin cocoons.)3
The following summer, they emerge as ravishing orange, gray, and cream-colored regal moths, with an impressive six-inch wingspan.
an orange, yellow, and blue striped regal moth on a human hand
Regal moth. Kadoka1 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
of 10
Hickory Horned Devil (Regal Moth) Caterpillar
Green and black hickory horned devil caterpillar with orange/red spikes on a green leaf
Weber / Getty Images
The hickory horned devil looks menacing, but it’s just a harmless giant caterpillar. One of the largest caterpillars in North America, hickory horned devils can grow to over five inches in length. Everything about them—from their startling turquoise-green bodies arrayed with black spikes to their prickly orange horns—can invoke fear in the uninitiated. Turns out, it's all a ruse.
These giants, found in eastern U.S. forests, are about as gentle as they come. After feasting on the leaves of hickory, ash, persimmon, sycamore, and walnut trees, they burrow a few inches into the ground in late summer. (They're one of the few moth caterpillars that don't spin cocoons.)3
The following summer, they emerge as ravishing orange, gray, and cream-colored regal moths, with an impressive six-inch wingspan.
an orange, yellow, and blue striped regal moth on a human hand
Regal moth. Kadoka1 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Advertisements
11 December 2022
Advertisements
