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Project Noah Nature School
Orgyia vetusta
Brown, hairy looking cocoon attached to branch and dead leaves. This caterpillar can be seen at my other spotting from March 28th: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/100...
Ramona Lilac bush along a trail through chaparral at Daley Ranch.
Tussock moth caterpillars are known for their "distinctive appearance of alternating bristles and haired projections. The larvae are also hairy, often with hairs packed in tufts, and in many species the hairs break off very easily and are extremely irritating to the skin (especially members of the genus Euproctis; Schaefer, 1989). This highly effective defence serves the moth throughout its life cycle as the hairs are incorporated into the cocoon, from where they are collected and stored by the emerging adult female at the tip of the abdomen and used to camouflage and protect the eggs as they are laid." - Wikipedia This is what makes this caterpillar, Wildlife with Innovative Defenses.
Spotted on Apr 19, 2012
Submitted on Apr 21, 2012
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