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Hemileuca maia maia
Hemileuca maia maia, the Inland Barrens Buckmoth, is a species of special concern in New York State. The moth is found in specific habitats, such as the sandy pine (Pinus sp., mostly P. rigida) barrens with mainly oak (Quercus ilicifolia, and some Quercus prinoides) undergrowth. This caterpillar was found crawling along the trail, and could have easily been stepped on if one was not aware of this species. The spines are poisonous and can deliver quite a painful sting. They are quite a late-season moth for Northeastern North America as their larva appear in mid-July and throughout August, and they emerge as adults in mid-September to October.
Sandy pine (Pinus sp., mostly P. rigida) barrens with mainly oak (Quercus ilicifolia, and some Quercus prinoides) undergrowth at the Pine Bush Preserve.
Lifer! I observed this caterpillar in absolute awe from 4:17 PM to 4:34 PM. Here are some interesting links regarding this Hemileuca maia: http://gradworks.umi.com/1482176.pdf http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7494.html
Spotted on Aug 2, 2013
Submitted on Aug 25, 2013
4 Comments
Thank you very much, LandmarkExpert!
whoa, nice one man!
Thank you very much, Ashley! I'm hoping to see the moth later in Autumn. :-)
I love how you know the number of minutes you observed him in awe haha ;) I love the moth so much, but the caterpillar is pretty too!