Such Beauty Right Under Your Nose

12 years ago

Dear Husband calls me outside to look at what he discovered when pruning the wisteria by our back door. I immediately recall it's a 'saddleback' and am thankful he clipped the sprig of vine it was clinging to, rather than picking it up. It inflicts a rather nasty souvenir if you touch it and come in contact with the barbs on the hairs, sort of like a jellyfish.

It's one of the many non-descript moths one might find clinging to the screens on a summer's night. Pretty, isn't it?

Comments (14)

tibs
12 years ago
whoah. If I would of come acorss that thing I would have let out a screetch then come back for another look after my pulse settled down.

I found the coolest fungus this morning. Looked like a peanut blossom cookie that had sat out and got the "bloom" on the chocolate. Tried to find a picture on line, but for some reason I kept getting really strange sites. Not sure if was using the word fungi or what.
calliope
Original Author
12 years ago
Can you post a picture of it? I'll bet our collective noggins could figure out what it is.
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mawheel
12 years ago
Wow! Pretty, but "weird" looking, too--at least to me. It does look as if it's wearing a saddle blanket with a hole in the top for air. Mother Nature equipped this one for survival, didn't she?
gandle
12 years ago
Haven't seen that one before Ma nature sure has some strange beautys.
agnespuffin
12 years ago
Which end is which?
calliope
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm assuming the false 'eyes' are at the head end and it's facing downward. But.......you never know. I'm also wondering what that white mass is on the upper horn and if it's a parasitic wasp egg.
coconut_nj
12 years ago
I'd never seen that one either. Going to pay attention next time I'm whacking at the wisteria. Smiles. It is pretty. Yes, that's a wasp egg. Those do look like the false eyes so it's the back end. Glad you posted Suzy. Something to watch out for. Now I need to go and see if they have them here. I figure they do because the moth looks quite familiar, even though I've never seen that caterpillar.
west_gardener
12 years ago
Eeeeek. Having said that, I think you and DH did a great job in catching a photo of this creature. I hope I never meet it face to face or a@@ backwards.
Thanks for posting.
anneliese_32
12 years ago
Looks cute but I stay away from creepy-crawlies with bristles, touched one once, never again.
calliope
Original Author
12 years ago
Coconut.......you mean their eyes are in their *ss? rofl. Oh my. That's too funny. I've heard that expression and now I know where it comes from.
coconut_nj
12 years ago
LOL....
petaloid
12 years ago
That's one fancy bug!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
That appears to be a Tachinid fly egg on the Saddleback. Good catch, Calliope! It seems like they often lay their eggs closer to the front of the caterpillar, for some reason.

Yes, it's truly gorgeous and such a good picture! I had to close down my wholesale container nursery for a couple of days at one time because of these BAD creatures! My employees were practically threatening to quit, lol. I eventually managed to get stung by one, too. It felt like I had been shot.

Many years ago, someone here in the Gardenweb said that this caterpillar reminded her of a Scottish terrior with a jacket. I can't quite get that comparison out of my mind, lol.
jazmynsmom
12 years ago
He's beautiful, but I wouldn't want him anywhere near me!