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Project Noah Nature School
Acronicta retardata
Beautiful caterpillar. Pale yellow with black stripes, covered in long yellow bristles, orange face, red nodules on back.
Found on a maple leaf in woods
Is it poisonous?
Maybe you will be able to get pictures of it going into chrysalis. I can't seem to find the ones I spotted. Guess they moved higher in the tree.
Update: Overnight, this little caterpillar ate almost all of that big maple leaf! Oink!
I don't know why it was given that name. There is also one I found that is called Afflicted Dagger Moth. A lot of moths have very strange names.
Emma, I was wondering that too! (I assume it has something to do with its being slower to develop or flying later in the year than other dagger moths, or something like that, but I'd love to know the real reason.)
Looks similar to the one I found. Lucky for me someone found the id! http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/108...
Spotted on May 9, 2012
Submitted on May 10, 2012
