Bagworm Caterpillar
Now this is a strange one: this caterpillar photo was taken by reader Athena Fritz in Seattle, WA, USA… last week. I think this is a bagworm caterpillar, or at least some form of Springtime foliage-eating caterpillar. I know Seattle is green year-round but I am surprised to find such a critter alive in December at that latitude!
[Edit: Athena scolded me after posting this. She had indeed sent me some pictures taken in December, but I got them mixed up. This photo was taken in mid October, which downgrades this caterpillar from utterly bizarre to merely very improbable. Also, she points out that they live in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state, which is apparently not in Seattle. In fact, she insists that it's clear on the other side of the state. When I pressed her on whether or not she lived far enough away from Seattle to not vote a straight Eco ticket, however, she just coughed nervously and changed the subject. Sorry for the mix-up, Athena, and thanks again for the photo!]
She says she found it on the floor in the house, which could mean that it was tracked in from anywhere, including having been refrigerated for a long time in some human storage facility. It’s a puzzler!
Any Seattlites out there know more about this one? Who knows, maybe it’s actually a common critter up there?
Slowly getting the site back onto an even keel. It's nice to get back into the old posting rhythm.
bbot said,
December 23, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
We get tent caterpillars all the time up here, but usually in the summer, and I’ve never seen anything like this fellow.
cathy said,
July 28, 2008 @ 2:50 pm
are these catipillers posines or dangerus or can kill you because i found one out side and i dont no if i should let it in to my house and what should i feed it im giving it grapes but hes not eating it he lookes like he,s lookes he,s a bag worm catiplliar please wright back to me to no if it,s okay to let it im my house wrightback as soon as possible asap bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David Brady said,
July 28, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
Hi Cathy,
These caterpillars are completely harmless. I wouldn’t eat one, though. It would probably taste yucky.
They eat leaves, but I think they need living leaves, and it may need leaves from the same kind of tree that it hatched on. (The moth that laid those eggs would have laid them on a tree that her babies could eat.)
You could probably take it outside and put it on any tree that already had these caterpillars on it, but your parents might not approve. They are considered a pest, and enough of them together can ruin the crop from a fruit tree by eating all the leaves.
Good luck, and let me know what you do. (And if you have a camera, send in a picture of the caterpillar!)