During our in-class tree walk, my group and I were studying some of the trees on the northern part of the Green. I laid down in the shade of the maple to ~experience~ it, and when I sat up, I discovered a caterpillar in my hair!

Initial reaction to finding a caterpillar in my hair

Realizing how cool the caterpillar is (PC Leo L.)

What I observed was the eastern tent caterpillar larva. Though I thought it was the coolest thing ever, it is actually a pest to North America (as Prof. Smith said) because it eats the foliage of trees to increase the size of their silk nests.

The caterpillars that hatch together make these silken tents where branches come together on a tree. The tent serves as protection and a way for the social caterpillars to interact.

We begin seeing these caterpillars in late spring and early summer because they spend winter plus more time as eggs. The caterpillars mature in 4 to 6 weeks to a length of 2 to 2.5 inches and begin their solitary search for a safe place to make their cocoon. After three weeks, a reddish-brown moth emerges from the cocoon.

I must have intercepted my caterpillar on his way to find a home to spin. He was mainly black with many long brown hairs covering his entire body, and discernable ends that suggest a head and tail. The tail portion of his body was forked so that his body ended in two little parts. On each of the seven compartments making up the length of his body, there were a white oval and circle on the top of each. On both sides of his body, there were two yellow-orange stripes with a royal blue stripe in between them.

Source: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef423

Do not fear the caterpillars,

Libby

Hello Writing Natural History blog followers!

Last Tuesday night on my rainy, late-night walk home from the library, I encountered a horde of worms outside GDX. I was very excited to see these earthworms because we had just talked about Charles Darwin and his studies of worms. Some of the ones I observed were very long, and others were shorter, however, the smaller earthworms are more effective at burrowing due to their relative body mass to force ratio (Encyclopedia of Life).

In class, we learned that worms are very important in the fertilization of soil, and according to the Encyclopedia of Life, this is because they take the top layers of soil down into their burrows, taking in oxygen and secreting soil (‘worm casts’). This process requires worms to keep their skin wet, which is why I saw them on the wet sidewalk.

My photo from Tuesday night.

The next morning outside the library by Novack, not too far from where I had seen the worms the previous night, I saw more worms! This time, I decided to pick one up. It was soft, not slimy, and not very gross at all. Whereas the night before the worms looked pale pink, in the daylight, I observed that the worm was multi-colored, with lighter and darker brown regions and pale pink as well. Its body is divided by rings called annuli (Encyclopedia of Life) that appear to be farther apart towards the worms’ skinny end, the tail.

A worm on Wednesday morning (in my hand!).

And if I had not had my share of encounters with worms, I saw another one yesterday for good measure, crawling in the grass on Baker lawn. I also picked this one up, but it was not as soft because the grass was not wet. The worm curled up in my hand, showing off its flexible, cylindrical body, perfect for burrowing and inching through tiny spaces.

On Baker lawn.

I would highly recommend meeting one of these creatures to thank them for their work in fertilizing our soil and to follow in the great naturalist’s footsteps!

~enjoying the worms, Libby~