Spotting

Description:

Small inch worm. Head black. Color gradient along body from yellowish green to red-brown to brown-black. Pale white stripe down center of back, bordered by black spots on both sides. Stationary on tree, holding its head back at about 45 degree angle from tree. Maintained this shape for a long time once I picked it up. Moved very little, even when prodded (gently!). Maybe pretending to be a shoot of new secondary growth from the tree. Coloring and behavior would suit this strategy. Its rear end is also shaped strangely, like a branch ending in a bud.

Habitat:

Suburban yard, on the trunk of an oak tree in a mulched flowerbed. Found about four feet up.