Even though it wasn't doing much (beyond groping for the stem above where it sat on the edge of a leaf, but not actually going anywhere once it grabbed hold), this little thing certainly caught my eye as I was enjoying the view of my backyard from just inside my greatroom's glass door.
Been spending a lot of time there instead of on the decks. Far fewer mosquitoes inside than out. Luckily, I have a pretty nifty back yard and a great view from inside the window. But an orange inchworm was definitely worth the risk of going outside...
It's a caterpillar of a moth commonly called a "pug". Drab little things, the moths; their inchworms are much more interesting, especially this gold and chevron-ed beauty.
The book states that these larvae often match the color of their host (food) plant. But it is not known
how they do it. Indeed, not a flower petal was nibbled, which you'd think would be the most obvious way to pick up that eye-aching orange of a Mexican sunflower....
Nice to know there is still magic in the world, and so well represented by one wee orange inchworm...
