Goodness knows, summer seems to have returned after the teasers of mid-50° nights we had the other week. But just as retail stores are decked out in Halloween and other autumnal decorations, this little caterpillar is showing off its fall colors.
A coworker gets a bit miffed at people making up new names for beasties that already have names that have been used without trouble for a very long time (that's a Brit for you). But I have to admit that I like "Halloween Paint" much better than "Camphorweed Cucullia" for this glorious little creature... (And before you ask, it turns into a dull little brownish grayish moth, whose only distinguishing feature is a furry "hood" over its head. Here we call them "Hooded Owlets" but the British name for the moth group is, admittedly, more fun: Sharks.)
