The coke can is for scale, and it's right next to the critter, who must be a good 5 inches long. He was munching away on a couple of straight shoots coming up from the back of my Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, aka "contorted filbert."
Is it a promethea moth or something along those lines?
Here's another look, without the cola can...
HA! That looks so much like the big caterpillar in "a bug's life"
No kidding! He was fatter than my thumb!
It was a day for cats... I also spotted this little cutie... you folks on this forum have taught me (I think) that it's a tussock moth cat... and I think I saw a photo somewhere to make me think maybe a "milkweed tussock moth?"
I'm dying to know what your big fat cat is. I've never heard of anything like that!?!
It looked a lot like a tomato hornworm (similar color and texture of skin), but loads bigger, no "horn," and studded with those little bristles. I couldn't find it this evening... not sure if it's gone or just vanished into the thicket of the lower part of the bush. I hope it's OK. I'm wishing now that I'd brought it inside, but I wasn't sure I could adequately house and feed it.
Cecropia Caterpillar?? that's one pretty moth!
http://www.wormspit.com/cecropia.htm
This message was edited Sep 2, 2008 6:30 PM
I second Mrs Ed. A lot of people would love to see one of those. One of my books says their numbers are declining due to the introduction of the parasitic tachinid fly that was introduced to control the Gypsy Moth. Glad to see one so fat and happy!
Melanie
Cool looking moth...and very cool site Mrs. Ed!!
Fascinating link!
Cool link! Thanks for the ID. I will search the bush... as big as he was, I wonder if he might have been about ready to spin that coccoon..
I guess he's probably been in the bush for a while, but I just didn't see him (the leaves are pretty large and dense) until he climbed up that straight branch.
Yes, very cool series of photos on that site! Thanks for giving us the link!
quite welcome. just something I stumbled upon.
PS, I added it to the sticky.
This message was edited Sep 3, 2008 9:23 AM
How fascinating!!! Congrats criterologist for having found such a beautiful, rare cat. I've a large contorted filbert in the garden for many years.....is the filbert a hostplant for such moth?
"is the filbert a hostplant?
I think it must be, because he certainly was munching away at it.
It's certainly the most unusual -- and biggest! -- cat I've ever seen. No sign of it the past couple of days, but I haven't done a thorough search of the bush. I hope he's safe!
Please keep us posted on your cat.'s progress as you find them. Thank you for sharing such beautiful finding. Also, about the filbert tree info.
wikipedia lists host plants as maples, birch and cherry. *shrug*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyalophora_cecropia
I've got maples and cherry trees in the back yard, but this guy was in the front shrubbery. And he was definitely stripping the filbert. Go figure. :-)
Big as he is, he could easily be hiding from me in that bush. The leaves are pretty dense and large, and if you've ever tried to find a tomato hornworm you know how good the camouflage of a green cat can be!
maybe he's gone to spin his cocoon.
Oh, and that wormspit site says : "Cecropia moths will eat pear, apple, cherry, and several other fruit trees, and also willow. "
your filbert must qualify as other fruit trees, LOL.
I'm looking for the cocoon, too. It should be big enough to see! I sure don't want to trim it off and toss it away by mistake. If I find it, I wonder if I should bring it inside to overwinter in the crisper drawer of the garage fridge (like the guy did on the wormspit site)... that, I can probably manage... I do think I did the right thing not trying to hand raise it to "protect" it.
One of my books said something about them building their "bag" cocoon at the base of the tree, like in the grass almost.
Ok, I have the book here. It says if they build on exposed branches or twigs the cocoon will be compact and spindle-shaped due to having little adjacent structure to attach to. However, if they build in the grass at the base of the food plant, where there are lots of points to attach their silk, the cocoon is often loose and baglike and considerably larger.
Common food plants: apple, ash, box elder, cherry, lilac, poplar, sassafras, willow, but many other woody plants including birch, elm, larch, and maple are used.
Thanks, Mellie! Tomorrow I am going down on hands and knees to see what I can find... That bed isn't supposed to have lots of grass etc. around the plants LOL but it got a little overgrown... I was actually working my way along, weeding the border, when my husband came out to ask me a question... I hadn't looked up in a while, so I hadn't seen the cat, which was right about over my head... DH spotted it and said, "Holy Cow!"
cool cat Critter. that thing is huge. are you watching it daily? gonna let him morph? LOL
that is a neat link, got to go check it out for sure.
I haven't seen him since the day I took the photo... gonna launch a search in/under that bush tomorrow!
They don't stick around long do they
well, I'm not sure where he'd go... there aren't a lot of options in that front foundation bed, and I don't see him trekking across the lawn to the backyard to find alternative munchies. I'm thinking he's still in that shrub somewhere and has probably been hanging out in there unseen while growing to this huge size. Possibly he has spun his cocoon by now.
He's still here!
I found him yesterday, back up on one of the "skyrocket" branches. Today, I moved him gently to a branch within the main canopy of the bush (kept him on a straight one in case he preferred those leaves), because we've got a storm on the way, and I couldn't stand the idea of him getting whipped around up there in the rain.
I took a couple more photos & will get them uploaded... :-)
He's just so cool!
A DG friend stopped by to drop off some irises today. She was in a big rush, but when I said I had the cat from "A Bug's Life" right by the corner of the house, she couldn't resist and came traipsing across the lawn to check him out. :-)
YAY - can't wait to see the pix! :)
Wooohooo, I'm so happy for you! Will stand by....
Yep -- I checked out Critter's critter. He is really something else. (and, yes, Kim was standing there tapping her foot but I explained the circumstances-- I was her last customer of the day! ) What a cat! Hope he makes it thru the rain and wind tonight!
Great pictures, Jill.
This message was edited Sep 5, 2008 8:55 PM
Nutmeg, I can just see you trying to explain that you were a few minutes late because you had to look at a bug... We really didn't take long, though!
Here's a look at him from yesterday, caught him munching on the underside of a leaf! (I flipped the photo so we could see him better.)
Just hangin' out...
Ow wow, wow! May we see more of him please? Thank you, for sharing the awesome pix.
Cool! DH told me a few years ago that he saw a cat about 6 inches long and ugly, I was sure he was exaggerating - I didn't see it.
I just showed him this and he said it could have been it.
About being late, last fall was the first I raised Monarchs, and almost called my boss to tell her I couldn't make a meeting because I had to watch the bf eclose. I told her that later, and she said that would have been fine!
Ooooh I hope no big bad wasp or lizard or bird will find him!!!
I hope he stays safe, too! I don't think we got a lot of wind last night, and the rain so far today has been fairly gentle. I'm glad I moved him down a little... DH suggested maybe he was up high to stay away from wasps etc., and I said if so he'll just move back up there after the storm passes through. I only moved him a few feet down, just to the top of the main "canopy" of the bush, and I put him on another of the "skyrocket" branches. (I'll be pruning off those tall suckers again, and yes, I'll be very careful not to prune out his chrysalis if present!)
My gosh..it just keeps getting bigger!
Yes, we did think he looked a little bigger than last week... I think I need to take a ruler out there next time I find him!
Boys, if HE were mine, I'd be searching a fine mesh of some kind and create a protective barrier "housing" for HIM. Just a thought. ^_^
I really don't know enough about him, Lily... I'm afraid I could end up decreasing his chances of survival as readily as increasing them. From that link Mrs_Ed posted above, it did look like I was right not to try hand-rearing him. That person did create an on-tree enclosure, but they seemed pretty experienced. It's right on the front of the house, so I'm not sure I want to do anything too obvious like tent the whole tree, because if he ends up drawing a crowd, that won't be good for his health either. For that reason, I haven't made a big deal about him to the neighborhood kids, either -- he's just a little too exposed and vulnerable there.
