Mystery caterpillar - Please Help with ID?

10 years ago

I have a flat of Swamp Milkweed (A. incarnata) seedlings. I haven't looked at it for awhile but today I did and saw that many of them have been eaten. I saw this guy laying in the dirt. I tried to find different Moths or butterflies which use Swamp Milkweed but all the ones I could find didn't look like this one.

Any ideas? Thanks!

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Comments (6)

SouthCountryGuy Zone 4b-5 SE BC
10 years ago
Okay, I am taking a stab as I am trying to hone my skills.

Could it be Trichordestra legitima or a Striped garden caterpillar?

SCG
bob_71
10 years ago
The two that most resemble the photograph that i have found are the Striped Garden Caterpillar (specifically includes Milkweed among the caterpillars food plants) and the other would be the Yellow Striped Armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli). There is a photograph in Wagner's CATERPILLARS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA that is very close...about as identical as you can get.

Good luck in your search!

Bob
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kellybird02
Original Author
10 years ago
Definitely a Yellow Striped Armyworm!

Funny thing is there aren't any to be seen on my patch of Swamp Milkweed or Tropical Milkweed. Just this one eating the seedlings.

Thanks so much!
rickinla
10 years ago
OK, let's try another. I broke open a little round dirt dauber nest and found these little cats, they're about 1"-1 1/4" long. Any ideas on ID?
SouthCountryGuy Zone 4b-5 SE BC
10 years ago
Can we get a close up? I find this fun...
rickinla
10 years ago
My phone won't get any closer, I was 6" away taking that shot. Here's what the dirt nest looks like.