Hunky Husband's Hitchhiker

Hunky Husband mowed our lawn, this morning, then took a nap before lunch. As I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, HH walked in - with a hitchhiker on his shoulder. It didn't wish to hold still for its portrait, but I was able to get several good photos of the hitchhiker, which I'm calling a Walnut Caterpillar. As we have several large, old walnut trees in our woods (and a few small ones in our yard), this is not an unusual find for us. How it hid on HH for such a long time is beyond my ken. HH had no idea of its presence until I picked the caterpillar off of his shoulder.

I had seen a Walnut Caterpillar Moth clinging to the doorframe of the door into the house from the garage, early this morning, but it didn't occur to me to take a photo of it - and it is no longer there. I'll substitute a photo that I found at Texas A&M: Extension Entomology.

ADDITION of 8/30/2022 7:00am - more on Walnut Caterpillar

I took the time to dig a little deeper online and found the following photo on Kansas State University Research & Extension. I like the photo even though it isn't sharply focused because it shows a grouping of Walnut Caterpillars that includes younger and older specimens.

North Carolina State University has the most comprehensive set of relevant photos. Not only has it posted individual photos of younger and older specimens, but also the next photo showing a pupa.

A good resource that I found was . That's a mouthful! It may be accessed at Moth Photographers Group. Finding the resource surprised me. The only thing I ever learned at Mississippi State University was in a hands-on course in laying up composite materials - at their Advanced Composites Institute. (I'm the "no moustache" person next to the tall guy in the back row. We students were a scroungy lot, but the instructors wore ties!)

ADDITION of 8/30/2022 10:12am - on Stu's Oak Processionary caterpillars

Stu's caterpillars are interesting critters. Unlike our Walnut Caterpillars that, at least around our place are not numerous enough to constitute a real threat (thus, I turned loose the caterpillar that had latched onto HH), parts of England and Europe are home to too many Oak Processionary Caterpillars. I found the following photo and paragraphs at Wildlife Insight. 

Oak Processionary caterpillars

on 22 MAY 2020

Oak Processionary Moth caterpillars create amazing patterns when resting in large numbers on the trunks of oak trees. They’re also fascinating to watch when on the move, walking head to tail in a long processional line, hence their name.

However, these caterpillers [sic] have a darker side. They are a growing threat to oak trees as well as a potential health risk in parts of south east of [sic] England.

These were sighted on a tree trunk by Emily Kirt while taking a walk in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London.

The origins of Processionary moths in London are thought to be from eggs imported on timber from the continent where they are a common pest. Small numbers of moths also arrive annually along the south coast as migrants from other European countries such as The Netherlands and France.

As with other invasive pest species from abroad such as The Gypsy Moth and Box Moth caterpillar they seem to be on the increase and spreading in parts of southern England.

Other caterpillars can be seen in the Moth caterpillar galleries and Butterfly caterpillar galleries . Other hairy caterpillars can be seen in the Hairy caterpillar gallery.

Comments

[Ole Phat Stu]

The oak processionary caterpiller is the most dangerous one we have here in Germany.

[Cop Car]

Stu--That's an interesting critter. You've encouraged me to add to the posting.

[Ingineer66]

That is a lot of information about caterpillars. We had one of its cousins living in the English Walnut trees in our yard when I was a kid.
The photo from the composites course appears to have a 12 to 1 ratio of men to women. It was only a little lower than that when I was in school. The office I am currently working in has about a 3.5 to 1 ratio. Which is probably the lowest I have seen in my career.

[Cop Car]

Ingineer--I forget that people actually grow English walnuts since all of the trees around here are Black walnuts - or - perhaps I can't tell the difference in driving by.
At 12:1, the ratio was better than in engineering school in 1955-1959 where it was 100:1. Your office is very unusual in its male:female ratio. At one time, if I counted myself, the people working in my group were 1:1 - an unheard-of figure! (I had just hired the tie-making woman. The ratio didn't last long.)

How are you doing in your new home? I would welcome photos if you care to/think to send them. If you do share them and want me to share them with our blog friends, please let me know that it is OK to post them.

[bogie]

Amazing how those critters can hide on us until either spotted, or you finally feel it in your hair (and in my case, freak out because you think it might be a tick). A week or so ago, I had some sort of bug crawl up under my jeans and reach my knee before I felt it. Then I rubbed that area (thinking it was just my jeans catching a hair), felt the lump and then the lump BIT me.

I started stripping real quick. Not sure what the bug was but it had long pincers (some sort of beetle). I scooped it up with a paper towel and proceeded to flush it before I thought to take pictures. I'm sure I picked it up while I was outside working and didn't feel it until later when I was inside the house and sitting down.

[Liz Hinds]

That is one hairy caterpillar!

I didn't know that about the oak moths/caterpillars either.

[Cop Car]

Bogie--That lump wanted an eye for an eye! I've had little (actually, not so little) critters bite me on the hand - mostly when I've been picking bag worm cocoon's out of the junipers. Man, it hurt! But that was several years ago and although I've seen some of them since then, I've not encouraged stinging. Except for ticks, I normally find critters while outside.

Liz--There are whole websites dedicated to hairy caterpillars. They do look strange.

[Ingineer66]

We are really enjoying our new to us house in the suburbs of Sacramento. It is a quiet area and we have some great neighbors. I will send some photos soon.

[Cop Car]

Ingineer--Super!