Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
If the caterpillars hatch in the spring and feed on oak catkins they appear green. If they hatch in the summer they appear dark colored, like oak twigs. The differential development is linked to the tannin content in the diet. [15] Caterpillars may even have spines or growths that resemble plant parts such as thorns.
The tree in which a female deposits the eggs is where the larvae will choose to feed. The most common host plants that caterpillars feed on are leaves from stonefruit trees. However, larvae will feed on many other types of tree foliage. Adult moths do not eat and live for 1–4 days. [7]
The following description of the tent caterpillar life cycle is based on that of the eastern tent caterpillar, the best-known species. The details of the life histories of other species vary to a small extent. Tent caterpillars hatch from their eggs in the early spring at the time the leaves of their host trees are just unfolding.
When the caterpillars leave the nest to feed or over-winter, they form a characteristic single-file procession hence the common name of ‘processionary caterpillars’. [6] The caterpillar over-winters underground from May to October, then spins a cocoon and forms a puparium between September and November (Spring). [ 2 ]
The caterpillars are mostly found in oak trees or on the ground under them in late spring and early summer, and do not live on fences, walls, etc. as other caterpillars do. They have very long, white hairs contrasting markedly with shorter hairs. [1] The caterpillars of several other species may be mistaken for the oak processionary. [3]
Several wasps feed on Queen’s Anne lace plants on June 29, 2012, in Davis, California. ... good to have around” to eat other bugs such as caterpillars. ... started from scratch each spring by ...
Butterflies need specific plants, called host plants, where they can lay their eggs and caterpillars hatch. Not all caterpillars will become butterflies, of course, because some are eaten by birds ...
Therefore, first generation caterpillars, which emerge in the warmer months of summer, tend to have a shorter pupation duration. Some second generation caterpillars pupate over winter and in the spring emerge as first generation moths. The cocoon provides sufficient protection from rain and other external factors, except mechanical ones. [1]