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| Wavy-lined Emerald- Wikipedia |
While collecting beetles off a flower head I noticed movement in some dried plant debris in the bottom of a bug box. Laid on the table, it began to twitch. Only when it stretched out did I recognize it as a camouflaged looper caterpillar, the larva of the Wavy-lined Emerald moth, Synchlora aerata (SA). It is a member of the Geometridae family.
Geometrids ("earth measuring") have larvae that as a child I called "inch worms" for their habit of holding on with their hind legs as they move their head forward, carefully measuring their ground. They lack several pair of prolegs in front and therefore can't crawl like other caterpillars. My SA caterpillar was having problems getting traction on our smooth kitchen counter as seen here on Youtube.
While most geometrid caterpillars are smooth, the SA camouflaged loopers are prudish and would never consider going out in public naked. They chew off flower parts and seeds, sticking them onto needle-like projections on their upper body surface with a little silk from the spinnerets beneath the caterpillar’s mouth. Remove the particles and they will immediately start dressing again. Each time it molts the camo falls off with the old skin and it starts again, a real "clothes horse" of the insect world.
Moths usually have rather specific host plants. Our SA larvae however feed on a wide variety of plants, including the flower heads of composite flowers and other flowering plants, as well as shrubs and trees. Recorded food plants include Aster, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Solidago, Artemisia, Achillea and Rubus species. (Wikipedia) They will
even venture into non-native territory and conceal themselves on
chrysanthemums, daisies, yarrow and Queen Anne’s lace
Because of its wide range of plant food, the SA caterpillar can dress up in many different colors and shapes. Most sources say the caterpillar uses plant particles as camouflage to hide from predators. I wonder if it doesn't make up for its drab adulthood by showing a juvenile sense of style.