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Persistence ...

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted March 9, 201358 views4 comments

Unknown (to me) species of caterpiller.

Yesterday I found this little guy out on the ice of the St. Lawrence River, headed towards the Canadian mainland. Presumably he came from the New York side of the river (about 2 miles to the south), or perhaps from an island.

What would possess a tiny creature like this to undertake such a journey in sub-freezing temperatures is beyond me. He was still about 300 yards from the shore, so I gave him a ride in my coat pocket and set him gently down in a bare area that looked caterpiller friendly.

Nikon D300; 300mm; f 6.3 @ 1/800th; iso 200; hh; approx. 50%FF.

The strange crop seemed natural to me to indicate the unfinished journey.

All comments and suggestions most welcome - as would be an ID.

Larger version to help with possibleID.

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on March 10, 2013 at 8:19 AM

How fascinating! I really like the crop you chose as it does indeed bring attention to his travels! Am surprised he could be so active at such a temperature!

Registered on December 13, 2011, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on March 10, 2013 at 9:48 AM

How odd, Tom. I've never seen a caterpillar in the snow or ice. Good exposure as you have retained detail even in the ice, and the comp/crop looks fine to me. Thanks for sharing this interesting image.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 10, 2013 at 4:48 PM

Getting out of the US of A, huh?! What an interesting find and your picture does good justice to the story.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on March 11, 2013 at 4:30 AM

Tom:

Caterpillars are such interesting creatures as I have just discovered since I started raising a few. This one sure looks very interesting. Most cats just curled up on the cold and it's fascinating to see this one moving along the ice.

I asked my friend David Mohn about ID. He ID the family Arctiidae. He then consulted his fellow Leptopterist in New Jersey who wrote:
"There’s little doubt it’s an Arctiid [moth larva--think a tan Wooly Bear] of some sort. It’s not all that uncommon for the genus to be out and about on cold days all winter, since they hibernate as final instar larvae and wake up occasionally on sunny days to see if there’s anything to eat – usually host here is plantain (Plantago, not the banana type thingie)."

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments