Well Dressed

This little caterpillar goes by the name camouflaged looper.

Camouflaged loopers are an inchworm, and they attach pieces of the plant they’re on to camouflage themselves.

They change their attire nightly.

I think this one could definitely be classified as flamboyant. They are the caterpillar of the wavy emerald looper moth (Synchlora aerata). They prefer composite flowers and change their “attire” nightly because the petals wilt. I don’t have a picture of the moth in my files. The moth is lime green with two thin white wavy lines.

Assassin Bug

This assassin bug’s dark color made it easy to spot among the goldenrod flowers.

  I took picture after picture because of the low evening light and a breeze. The assassin bug didn’t much like that and kept moving around. Then I noticed it was feeding on prey. Assassin bugs wait patiently and ambush their prey. Its long beak then injects the victim with a lethal toxin that dissolves its insides. The assassin bug then sucks out the “juices.”

The assassin bug was feeding on a moth caterpillar, called a camouflaged looper (Snychlora aerata). These caterpillars attach small plant pieces to their body, so they blend in with their surroundings.

Since I wasn’t able to get a good picture of the caterpillar, I’m including one taken during a previous summer.

Isn’t it impressive … and convincing in its floral attire?  The caterpillars like open habitats and mostly composite flowers. Black-eyed susans and salvias are a favorite of theirs in my gardens.