Types of caterpillars - description, features and interesting facts. The green caterpillar The hoary caterpillar is a beauty that you should not touch

Sometimes on dill we see a large green caterpillar with bright black stripes and orange spots. I used to crush them mercilessly. But just recently I learned that this is the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterfly. And it immediately became a pity to kill them.

Swallowtail is listed in the Red Book of many countries

Why is a swallowtail a swallowtail?

We have become accustomed to the idea that the brightest and most unusual animals live somewhere in distant lands. Our swallowtail, which belongs to the family of sailboats, is not inferior to many “tropicans” in its brightness of pattern and refinement of form, but it has become less and less common. About 80 years ago, the caterpillars of these butterflies were considered malicious pests cultivated plants, so they fought him mercilessly. Therefore, the number of swallowtails has sharply decreased and today they are listed in the Red Book, not only in our country, but also in many European countries.

The swallowtail received its name from the famous Swedish systematizer Carl Linnaeus. He named the butterfly in honor of the outstanding surgeon of antiquity who participated in the Greek campaign against Troy. It is borrowed from ancient Greek mythology: Machaon was the name of one of the two sons of the Thessalian king and physician Asclepius (Aesculapius, later the god of healing). This name is found in Ovid, Virgil, ancient authors wrote about the “swallowtail craft”, “swallowtail medicine”.

Butterfly

Of our daytime butterflies, the swallowtail is the largest. Its wingspan sometimes reaches ten centimeters. It feeds on the nectar of flowers. This butterfly is always in flight. Even when she sits on a flower, she continues to flap her wings. The mating games of colorful swallowtails resemble intricate dances in flight.

After courtship, the female lays eggs on a food plant: on a stem or leaf. In total, during the breeding season, one female is capable of laying about 120 eggs. For my short life(only 20 days) the butterfly lays eggs twice.

The caterpillar feeds mainly on flowers and seeds of plants, less often on leaves.

Caterpillar

After 7 days, the swallowtail caterpillar hatches from the egg - very bright and very voracious, it can eat a bed of dill in a day.

The bright colors give it a menacing look. When irritated or threatened, the caterpillar puts out orange “horns” called osmetria, secreting an orange-yellow liquid with a caustic unpleasant smell. Only young and middle-aged caterpillars protect themselves in this way; adult caterpillars do not move their glands when in danger.

The swallowtail caterpillar clings quite tightly to the stems and does not fall, even if the stem is cut off and taken to another place.

She does not climb trees and does not eat roots. Forage plants include various umbelliferous plants, in particular hogweed, carrots, dill, parsley, fennel, celery, and caraway seeds. Might enjoy it Amur velvet or alder. Prefers to feed on flowers and ovaries, less often on plant leaves. By the end of its development, the caterpillar hardly eats.

When irritated or threatened, the caterpillar puts out orange “horns.”

Doll

Pupation occurs on the stems of the host plant or on neighboring plants. The color of the pupae depends on the season - summer pupae are green or yellowish, covered with small black dots. Overwintering ones are brown in color, with a black head end and thick horns on the head.

So is it a pest or not?

Now it is difficult to say how significant the damage caused by the swallowtail to cultivated plants is. Plowing land, grazing, mowing, using pesticides - all this is real for the swallowtail and many other insects. ecological catastrophy. And it is now rare to see this caterpillar in our garden beds. Kill it or give it the opportunity to develop into a beautiful butterfly - it's up to you.

Today scientists different countries They are trying to artificially breed rare, endangered swallowtails, and then release them into the wild. English experts tried to restore the population of the swallowtail, which disappeared in one of the wetlands of Cambridgeshire due to land drainage in the 1950s. The eggs laid by the butterflies in the laboratory were transferred here, having previously planted about 2 thousand bushes of the bitter bitter plant. The experiment, alas, was unsuccessful.

However, there, in the UK, thanks to the experiments of biologist K. Clark in the laboratory, it was possible to breed a large number of adult butterflies within 1-2 seasons. This gives us hope that our children and grandchildren will still be able to admire the aerial dances of the beautiful swallowtail.

Caterpillar Sibine stimulea (eucleid butterfly). Charming, but, like most beauties, very insidious. She stings with her hairs. For humans, its poison is not fatal, but much more unpleasant than the sting of bees or wasps. The pain is unbearable, to the point of loss of consciousness.

Once in my childhood, at my grandmother’s in the village, I saw an unusual caterpillar - a large, bright green one with orange horns. I don’t know what kind of butterfly it turned out to be, but the caterpillar was very beautiful. By the way, most beautiful caterpillars the butterflies are quite inconspicuous...

Among the caterpillars there are simply stunningly beautiful specimens, but the bright coloring most often indicates that these creatures are poisonous. This provides them reliable protection from enemies, but people are curious and strive to hold these cuties in their hands. For example, a caterpillar eucleid butterflies (Sibine stimulea) looks funny: she seems to be wearing a green vest with a hole in the back. At both ends of the larva's body there are a pair of horn-like processes. On these processes there are many stinging hairs, touching which the offender will immediately be struck by poison. The sensations after contact with the eucleid caterpillar are very painful: the affected area swells, a rash and nausea appear. A person can remain in this state for several days. living in Northern and South America.

2. Sibine stimulation

Butterfly caterpillar dipper bear It resembles a zebra in color, only it is painted with black and orange stripes. These cute creatures have a truly brutal appetite, and they feed on plants of the ragus genus, most of which are poisonous. This type of butterfly was even specially distributed in New Zealand, Australia and North America to reduce the number of ragworts growing on the territory. Actually, thanks to this diet, caterpillars become poisonous

3. Ursa rosa

Newly hatched butterfly larva monarch so small that after hatching it can hardly be seen. True, it grows very quickly, feeding exclusively on plants of the genus cottonweed, the milky juice of which is poisonous. Thanks to this, the larvae also become poisonous and inedible for predators. Very soon the monarch danaid caterpillar reaches 5 centimeters in length, and their striped black, white and yellow coloring can already be clearly seen. By the way, the monarch is considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. One of the most famous butterflies in North America, in the 19th century representatives of this species were found in New Zealand and Australia. In Europe, they are common in the Canary Islands and Madeira; during migrations they are recorded in Russia, the Azores, Sweden and Spain, and are found in northern Africa.

4. Monarch.

Caterpillar gypsy moth has on its body, covered with an unimaginable number of hairs, five pairs of red and six pairs of blue spots. The hairs serve mainly for propagation - thanks to them, the larvae are easily picked up and carried by the wind.

However, if the hairs are touched, they will cause painful sensations and skin irritation. The gypsy moth is a real scourge of forest lands; maples, elms and oaks are especially often affected by the caterpillars. The gypsy moth is distributed throughout almost all of Europe, North Africa, temperate latitudes of Asia and North America, the southern regions of Central Asia.

5. Gypsy moth.

Butterfly caterpillar Parasa indetermina family of tearworms does not exceed 1 inch in length, and is colored with longitudinal stripes of orange, yellow and Brown, and a wide purple stripe runs down the back. On the body of the caterpillar there are five pairs of massive processes similar to horns, which are dotted with small hairs with black tips. Touching the larva causes a very unpleasant sensation, as the poisonous tips dig into the skin, causing a rash and itching. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of dogwood, maple, oak, cherry, apple, poplar and hickory and lives in North and South America.

6. Parasa indetermina

Lophocampa caryae- a black and white caterpillar whose body is covered with many grayish-white hairs. However, these hairs do not pose any danger, since the larva’s weapon is two pairs of black spines located in the front and back of the body, each of which is connected to a poisonous gland. Upon contact with thorns, irritation and rash appear on human skin. These caterpillars are common in southern Canada and the northern regions of the United States and are found between June and September. The larvae live for approximately 8 weeks, feeding on hickory and walnut leaves.

7. Lophocampa caryae

Automeris.io- a very beautiful butterfly of the peacock-eye family, living in North America. Its caterpillar starts life orange, but as it ages it changes to bright green with two stripes of red and white on the sides of the body.

The entire surface of the larva's body is dotted with tufts of hairs, upon touching which the offender will be affected by two types of poison at once, causing severe pain, burning, and inflammation. This caterpillar feeds on the leaves of willow, maple, oak, elm, aspen, cherry and pear, and is found between February and September.

8.Automeris.io

Another representative of the slug family - Euclea delphinii. Its body, flattened at the top, does not exceed one inch in length, and is colored for the most part in green color, with two longitudinal orange-red stripes. Like other slugs, this caterpillar's weapon is poisonous spine-like hairs on the back of its body. Upon contact, they dig into the skin, and without medical care it will be difficult for the person. The species lives in the United States, feeding on the leaves of ash, oak, chestnut and some other trees.

9. Euclea delphinii

A few more caterpillars and their butterflies:

Butterflies from the squad blueberries quite often found in Russia, including Siberia. These butterflies are quite small, but so cute, and the caterpillars are quite ordinary.

10. Cupido arjades

11. Lucaena dispar

Peacock eye- a butterfly that can also often be found in our area. It's a beautiful butterfly, and its caterpillar is also quite interesting.

12. Peacock eye.

Swallowtail considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in Europe ( perhaps I saw a similar caterpillar in childhood). In total, there are 550 species of this beautiful family in the world fauna, inhabiting the temperate zone of Asia, northern Africa, North America, throughout Europe (absent only in Ireland, and in England it lives only in the county of Norfolk). The swallowtail was once one of the most common butterflies in Europe, but is now a rare, declining species and is listed in the Red Book. The decline in the number of this beautiful butterfly is associated, first of all, with the change or complete destruction of its habitats through the use of pesticides and other toxic substances, as well as due to trapping.

13. Swallowtail sailboat

Ursa Caja (Arctia caja) distributed throughout Europe, as well as in Siberia, the Far East, Central and Asia Minor, China, Korea and Japan, and North America. Lives in gardens, wastelands and other open places.

14. Arctia caja

The silver hole (Phalera bucephala) is found in all countries of the middle and of Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the European part of Russia and Turkey.

15. Phalera bucephala

Small peacock eye, or Night Peacock's Eye (Saturnia pavonia). The wingspan of these butterflies is 50 - 70 mm. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: in females the background of the hind wings is gray, and in the male it is orange. The butterfly is distributed over most of Europe, Asia Minor, through the entire forest zone of Eurasia to Japan, in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Siberia, and the Far East. Inhabits heather heaths, as well as mountain, rocky steppes and deciduous forests.

16. Saturnia pavonia

Heliconid Julia (Dryas Julia) has a bright orange wing color; when at rest, it folds them and becomes like a dry leaf. Distributed in Central and South America. Occurs all year round, sometimes in large quantities.

17. Dryas Julia

Peacock-eye Atlas (Attacus atlas)- a butterfly from the Peacock-eye family is considered one of the largest butterflies in the world; wingspan up to 26 cm, females are noticeably larger than males. Found in tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, Southern China and from Thailand to Indonesia, Borneo, Java.

18.Attacs atlas.

Butterfly Heliconius melpomene belongs to the Heliconidae family; distributed over a vast area from Mexico to Brazil. Lives in humid forests, flies through copses, but avoids sunny places.

19. Heliconius melpomene

Junonia orithya (Nymphalida orithya); the halo of its habitat is Africa, South and Southeast Asia, India, Australia.

20. Jinonia orithya

And a few more caterpillars...

21.

23.

24.

25.

Many of them are ready to do anything to protect themselves and their food from predators.

Their brightness most often indicates toxicity, and the hairs and spines contain a toxic cocktail.

Here are a few beautiful, but dangerous caterpillars , from which it is better to stay away.

Caterpillars (photo)

1. Coquette caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis)

What does a coquette caterpillar look like? like a miniature furry animal. However, as soon as you touch it, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.

Poisonous spines hidden under her "fur" release poison, causing severe throbbing pain , which can radiate into the armpit,five minutes after contact with the caterpillar. Red erymatous spots may appear at the site of contact. Other symptoms include:headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, damage to the lymph nodes, sometimes shock or difficulty breathing.

The pain usually subsides after an hour, and the spots disappear after a few days. However, when hit large quantity poison, symptoms can last up to 5 days.

2. Saddle caterpillar (Sibine stimulea)

The hoary caterpillar attracts attention with its bright colors, and believe me, you better stay away from it. Its fleshy horns are covered with hairs that secrete poison.

Touching them will cause pain similar to a bee sting, swelling, nausea and rash which will last for several days.

Types of caterpillars

3. Stinging rose caterpillar (Parasa indetermina)

The "stinging rose" caterpillar reaches a length of only 2.5 cm and is distinguished by its bright colors. But besides its yellow and red spots, what attracts the most attention are its spiny tubercles protruding from different sides.

The tips on these tubercles, as one might guess, release poison. If you touch one of them, the ends will break off and you will have skin irritation.

4. Spiny oak slug caterpillar ( Euclea delphinii)

This caterpillar is not that dangerous to people, although touching it will still cause rash. This is due to the spiny tubercles located on the back and sides.

As a rule, these caterpillars live on oaks, willows, as well as beech, cherry, maple and other deciduous trees.

5. Caterpillar of the black bear (Tyria jacobaeae)

Some caterpillars become toxic through the plants they eat. And this applies to the caterpillars of the mole bear, which feed on poisonous ragwort.

They eat so much of this plant that in New Zealand, Australia and North America they are used to control the growth of ragwort. This plant is deadly to cattle and horses, but pose a certain health threat to people.

If you are sensitive to caterpillar hairs, touching them may cause urticaria, atopic bronchial asthma, renal failure and cerebral hemorrhage.

Caterpillars crawl (video)

6. Caterpillars of the marching silkworm (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)

Traveling silkworm caterpillars live in groups in large silken nests high on pine trees.

They follow each other from the nest to the pine needles in search of food. And as you may have guessed, contact with them is dangerous. They are covered with thousands of tiny harpoon-shaped hairs, the touch of which causes severe skin irritation.

7. Bag caterpillar (Ochrogaster lunifer)

Just like the caterpillars of the traveling silkworm, these representatives live in groups in a silk bag, emerging at night and following each other in search of food. However, the danger from them is greater.

In South America they pose a health risk. The poison that is found in their bristles is powerful anticoagulant. This means that if you accidentally touch them, you risk bleeding from a small cut or internal bleeding.

8. Saturnia io caterpillar (Automeris io)

This caterpillar is native to Canada and the United States, and although it looks like an adorable little thing with green spiked pom-poms, remember that they are for viewing only.

No matter how tiny their spines may seem, the poison they contain can cause painful itching and even dermatitis.

9. Witch moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium)

If you thought the coquette caterpillar looked rather unusual, admire this furry creature. The witch moth caterpillar, also called the slug monkey, is often found in orchards.

People vary in their susceptibility to these caterpillars and in some they cause unpleasant symptoms, including itching and rash.

10. Hickory Bear Caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae)

It seems as if these caterpillars are dressed in winter fur coats. Most of the hairs covering their body are fairly harmless, but they do have four long black hairs on the front and back that should be avoided.

Touching them leads to rash and more serious problems with health, in case of hairs getting into the eyes. Moreover, they are still bite.

Poisonous caterpillars

11. Lazy clown caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua)

This peacock butterfly caterpillar can safely be called a killer caterpillar. Its thorns are filled with coagulant poison - anticoagulant, which can lead to human death.

Light touching of these caterpillars can lead to headache, fever, vomiting and if left untreated, internal bleeding renal failure and hemolysis.

Their venom is so powerful that scientists are studying it in hopes of developing a drug that prevents blood clots.

12. White cedar moth caterpillar (leptocneria reducta)

This caterpillar already inspires fear with its appearance. The hairs of this tiny crawling "cactus" can cause an allergic, itchy reaction in some people.

In addition, the caterpillars themselves live in large groups, swarming the tree at the same time, eating every single leaf before moving on.

13. Saturnia Mayan caterpillar ( Hemileuca maia)

One look at this caterpillar should discourage you from touching it. It is covered with hollow spines attached to a poison sac, and touching it will not only cause itching and burning, but will also lead to nausea.

They live mainly on oaks and willows from spring to mid-summer.

14. Volyanka caterpillar ( Orgyia leucostigma)

This caterpillar is easy to spot because of its red head, black back, and yellow stripes on its sides. Besides the fact that this caterpillar stings unpleasantly, it is considered a tree pest, eating everything woody in its path.

But try to remove it from the power source, and you will be in trouble.

15. Carnivorous caterpillars

While these caterpillars won't kill you, they do eat other insects, which is quite unusual for a caterpillar's usual vegetarian diet.

And remember, if a caterpillar has spines or hairs, it is better not to touch it, as, most likely, it may be poisonous!

Don't let it deceive you appearance these quirky and adorable caterpillars. Many of them are ready to do anything to protect themselves and their food from predators. Their brightness most often indicates toxicity

Don't let the appearance of these quirky and adorable caterpillars fool you. Many of them are ready to do anything to protect themselves and their food from predators. Their brightness most often indicates toxicity, and the hairs and spines contain a toxic cocktail. Here are some beautiful but dangerous caterpillars that you might want to stay away from.

1. Coquette caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis)

What does a coquette caterpillar look like? like a miniature furry animal. However, as soon as you touch it, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.

Poisonous spines hidden under its “fur” release poison, causing severe throbbing pain that can radiate to the armpit, five minutes after contact with the caterpillar. Red erymatous spots may appear at the site of contact. Other symptoms include: headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, lymph node involvement, and sometimes shock or difficulty breathing.

The pain usually subsides after an hour, and the spots disappear after a few days. However, if a large amount of poison is ingested, symptoms can last up to 5 days.

2. Saddle caterpillar (Sibine stimulea)

The hoary caterpillar attracts attention with its bright colors, and believe me, you better stay away from it. Its fleshy horns are covered with hairs that secrete poison.

Touching them will cause pain similar to a bee sting, swelling, nausea and a rash that will last for several days.

3. Stinging rose caterpillar (Parasa indetermina)

The “stinging rose” caterpillar reaches a length of only 2.5 cm and is distinguished by its bright colors. But besides its yellow and red spots, what attracts the most attention are its spiny tubercles protruding from different sides.

The tips on these tubercles, as one might guess, release poison. If you touch one of them, the ends will break off and you will experience skin irritation.

4. Spiny oak slug caterpillar (Euclea delphinii)

This caterpillar is not as dangerous to humans, although touching it will still cause a rash. This is due to the spiny tubercles located on the back and sides.

As a rule, these caterpillars live on oaks, willows, as well as beech, cherry, maple and other deciduous trees.

5. Caterpillar of the black bear (Tyria jacobaeae)

Some caterpillars become toxic through the plants they eat. And this applies to the caterpillars of the mole bear, which feed on poisonous ragwort.

They eat so much of this plant that in New Zealand, Australia and North America they are used to control the growth of ragwort. This plant is fatal to cattle and horses and poses some health hazard to humans.

If you are susceptible to caterpillar hairs, touching them can cause hives, atopic asthma, kidney failure and cerebral hemorrhage.

6. Caterpillars of the marching silkworm (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)

Traveling silkworm caterpillars live in groups in large silken nests high on pine trees.

They follow each other from the nest to the pine needles in search of food. And as you may have guessed, contact with them is dangerous. They are covered with thousands of tiny harpoon-shaped hairs, the touch of which causes severe skin irritation.

7. Bag caterpillar (Ochrogaster lunifer)

Just like the caterpillars of the traveling silkworm, these representatives live in groups in a silk bag, emerging at night and following each other in search of food. However, the danger from them is greater.

In South America they pose a health risk. The venom contained in their bristles is a powerful anticoagulant. This means that if you accidentally touch them, you risk bleeding from a small cut or internal bleeding.

8. Saturnia io caterpillar (Automeris io)

This caterpillar is native to Canada and the United States, and although it looks like an adorable little thing with green spiked pom-poms, remember that they are for viewing only.

No matter how tiny their spines may seem, the poison they contain can cause painful itching and even dermatitis.

9. Witch moth caterpillar (Phobetron pithecium)

If you thought the coquette caterpillar looked rather unusual, admire this furry creature. The witch moth caterpillar, also called the slug monkey, is often found in orchards.

People vary in their susceptibility to these caterpillars, and for some they cause unpleasant symptoms, including itching and rashes.

10. Hickory Bear Caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae)

It seems as if these caterpillars are dressed in winter fur coats. Most of the hairs covering their body are fairly harmless, but they do have four long black hairs on the front and back that should be avoided.

Touching them leads to a rash and more serious health problems if the hairs get into the eyes. Plus, they still bite.

11. Lazy clown caterpillar (Lonomia obliqua)

This peacock butterfly caterpillar can safely be called a killer caterpillar. Its thorns are filled with poison, a coagulant - an anti-clotting substance, which can lead to the death of a person.

Light touching of these caterpillars can lead to headache, fever, vomiting and, if untreated, internal bleeding, kidney failure and hemolysis.

Their venom is so powerful that scientists are studying it in hopes of developing a drug that prevents blood clots.

12. White cedar moth caterpillar (leptocneria reducta)

This caterpillar already inspires fear with its appearance. The hairs of this tiny crawling "cactus" can cause an allergic itching reaction in some people.

In addition, the caterpillars themselves live in large groups, swarming the tree at the same time, eating every single leaf before moving on.

13. Saturnia Maya caterpillar (Hemileuca maia)

One look at this caterpillar should discourage you from touching it. It is covered with hollow spines attached to a venom sac, and touching it will not only cause itching and burning, but will also lead to nausea.

They live mainly on oaks and willows from spring to mid-summer.

14. Caterpillar (Orgyia leucostigma)

This caterpillar is easy to spot because of its red head, black back, and yellow stripes on its sides. In addition to the fact that this caterpillar stings unpleasantly, it is considered a pest of trees, eating everything woody in its path.

But try to remove it from the power source, and you will be in trouble. published

Butterfly larvae - caterpillars - come in a variety of shapes and colors. And anyone who does not feel disgusted by caterpillars can enjoy watching these amazing creatures and, perhaps, learn something new for themselves. This is especially true for pupation, because it’s one thing to just know about life cycle insects, and another is to see with your own eyes the process of transformation of one creature into another.

Hawk Moths

Hawk Moths (Sphingidae) - a family of large or average size. The body is powerful, often cone-shaped; wings are narrow, elongated, with a span from 30 to 175 mm.

For some unknown reason, with my aunt's submission most life called hawk moths bob A mi. What the bobs such - it’s incomprehensible, I’ve never heard this word from anyone’s lips except my aunt, and Yandex finds only Dostoevsky’s story of the same name for such a request.

The caterpillars are large, beautiful, usually brightly colored with contrasting stripes and false eyes. The tail has a characteristic horn.

The pupae of most hawk moths also have a horn.

Next we will talk about the history of pupation of two caterpillars found simultaneously on our site and identified as larvae hawk moths: wine And fake. Actually, identifying them was not particularly difficult, since it is known that hawkmoth caterpillars are very picky and selective of their food plants, therefore, if a caterpillar is found on grapes, then it can be said with a high probability that it should turn out to be a wine hawkmoth.

So, the first story is happy...

Wine Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)

The caterpillar was found eating grape leaves. She was fat, elastic and green, with a horn and four false eyes in the front.

She behaved actively and did not refuse food in captivity. I also didn’t mind being photographed in different poses. Click on the pictures - they have a lot of details!

But a couple of days later, she disappeared from sight. Carefully turning over the leaves piled on the bottom of the aquarium, I discovered a certain conglomerate: the leaves were clearly glued together. In the depths of the shelter, the strangely modified body of a caterpillar, covered with mucus, lay motionless.

After a day or two, I decided to see what happened in the house of leaves. As soon as I started raking them, I felt something twitch energetically inside. The leaves were glued together perfectly, but what can one poor caterpillar oppose to the destructive power of the human mind?

I don’t think it will be a revelation to anyone that the leaves were hiding doll.

The front part of the pupa is completely rigid, the rear part consists of three movably connected segments and ends with a horn. When a doll is nervous, it can beat intensely, frightening the offender and jumping from place to place:

Here's what struck me most. Next to the pupa in the leaves lay the blackened and dried head and front part of the body of a former caterpillar with six horny legs. I never thought about the fact that when turning into a chrysalis, the caterpillar discards head!(“And what does she think with???” - this begs an idiotic question, from which, however, another follows: “Do caterpillars think in principle?”)

The idea for the demotivator is born by itself: “Don’t be a larva! Don't lose your head!

Now all that remains is to put the pupa in a secluded, cool place, and perhaps in the spring I will be able to watch the most exciting stage of the transformation: the birth of a butterfly.

Added six months later: It was possible to observe the birth of a butterfly, although a little earlier than expected. For details and photos, click on the picture:

The medium wine hawk moth is the one that hatched in me six months later.

And now the second story, tragic...

Linden hawk moth (Mimas tiliae)

This caterpillar was caught on a linden tree, and when caught it was approximately the same green color as our previous hero. However, by the time of the photo shoot, she had noticeably changed her color to green-yellow. If I had read about this caterpillar earlier, I would have realized that it was already about to pupate - in the linden hawkmoth this is preceded by a change in color.

If I had immediately planted the caterpillar in the leaves and not touched it again, then perhaps I would now still have a pupa of the linden hawk moth. But I did not allow the poor creature to calmly carry out its biological program. While I was replanting, while I was taking photographs...