Eastern Tent caterpillar

Description:

Malacosoma americanum. Eastern tent caterpillar. A tent caterpillar, a social species that forms nests in branches of trees. Confused with the gypsy moth or bagworm. The caterpillars are hairy with areas of blue, white, black and orange. The tent of this species is among the largest built by any tent caterpillar. The tents are multifunctional. Offers some protection from enemies, provide for secure purchase, and act as a staging site from which the caterpillars launch to distant feeding sites. The elevated humidity inside the tent may facilitate molting. Eastern tent caterpillars are among the earliest of caterpillars to appear in the spring. Because the tent is layered within the tent, it is thermally heterogeneous, and the caterpillars can adjust their temperature by moving from layer to layer. They may also aggregate on the outside of the shaded side of the tent and hang from the tips of their abdomens to enhance convective heat loss and cooling.

Habitat:

These tent caterpillars were spotted in one of the trees in the backyard this morning. There were a lot of caterpillars on this cocoon. I'm hoping that the robins enjoy them.