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All Black Woolly Caterpillar (Tiger Moth Caterpillar)

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TIGER MOTH CATERPILLAR
by: Moni

Sean
Send us a photo of the moth you get!
Los Angeles Wooly Cat.
by: Sean A.

I found a dark brown wooly caterpillar crawling across my porch and jarred him right up. I had never seen one like this before. I fed it some Swiss Chard leaves from my mom's garden and at first it just seemed to eat and poop. On the evening of the second day I noticed a web-like covering around him. By the next morning, Buck, (his name) was fully surrounded by his new cocoon. Now we wait and hope for the best.
Tiger Moth
by: Moni

Tiffany
The moths of tiger moth caterpillars do not feed on anything. Their job is to lay eggs and without a mate that will not happen either...well sometimes if it is a female she might lay eggs but they will not be fertilized so they will not hatch.
If you keep the moth cool it will last longer...I am guessing between 50-60 degrees. It's metabolism will be slow so it will live longer...but doubt that it will make it to spring unless you live in the deep south.

Sorry...just enjoy getting to rear the caterpillar into a moth...that is success in itself!! Take photos so the kids will have the success to remember.

Some moth species feed on nectar (sugar water) but this one does not. So let the kids learn about different moth diets perhaps.
What should I feed my Tiger Moth until I can release it?
by: Tiffany

Help! We found a Wooly Bear caterpillar in early October and followed instructions to keep him over the winter. Unfortunately, we must have kept him too warm, because he made a cocoon a couple of weeks ago. Today we have a healthy Tiger Moth! The kids are so excited, but I can't find ANY info. on how to keep the moth alive until it is warm enough to release it. What should I feed it? ~Tiffany
Giant leopard moth caterpillar
by: Moni

Cynthia
According to Bugguide "Spends the winter as a caterpillar (Caterpillars of Eastern Forests(1) says it overwinters August to May - presumably this varies by location). "
So it will not pupate now. With warm weather it will continue to eat, so here is the list of plants for the giant leopard caterpillar - broad-leaved plants, including banana, cabbage, cherry, dandelion, maple, orange, sunflower, violet, and willow.
You could always release it to feed and overwinter on its own.
With the cold front coming in at the end of the week, it will slow down on eating!! Winter is getting closer.
Caterpillars not forming cocoons?
by: Cynthia

We live in MN and have had a warmer than normal fall. Despite that, the dandelion leaves have all but withered away and I'm finding it hard to find food to feed our jarred friend. It's late October and our caterpillar is still roaming around the jar - I would have thought he'd have formed a cocoon by now. Is there anything to do to encourage this? I hate to have him starve before then!
Tiger Moth Caterpillar
by: Moni

TXboy
As you expected, no, they are not poisonous...just cool neat large caterpillars!
i found one:)
by: TXboy

are these poisonous? i would assume its not because im sure someone would have said something in the previous comments. i found one on our back porch and it was huge! it was about 2 inches long and the biggest caterpillar that i have ever seen. (i haven't seen too many caterpillars in my life) and it was really fat and super hairy it was pretty cool to see.
Tiger moth caterpillar
by: Moni

Kyler
It is great that you looked up the caterpillar that you found. Now you know what it is!
Thanks
The weird catipiler I Found
by: Anonymous

I am 8 years old my name is kyler today may 13,2010 i was plouing my garden and i found a black wooly catipilar in the garden.
Tiger moth caterpillar
by: Moni

Anonymous
It is great to show the kids what insects are all about, so I would encourage you to try to rear this caterpillar.
Without a photo to know for sure which one you have it is a little hard to tell you what to feed it. But I will base the information on the chance that it is probably the giant leopard moth caterpillar or a related tiger moth caterpillar.

Depending on the age of your kids, you should have them do some research on how to rear it!!

Have them take photos of the caterpillar and the rearing container. Notes about what they did? How they kept it? Photos of the cocoon and moth and all the stages of the process.

Here are some starters for you.
First - It is too early even in Memphis for this caterpillar to be ready for final rearing. They do move around with a warm spell, but then go back into hibernation with more cold weather. So, put it in a jar/ plastic container layered between paper towels with just a drop or two of water...only enough that it won't dry out.
Second - Set the jar outside in a very protected place. These caterpillars overwinter as caterpillars in mulch, leaves, under logs or in wood piles, etc. You might cover the jar with leaves or wood chips to prevent it from getting too warm too early.
OR - You could put the container in the refrigerator until May.
Here is one website that describes how to rear these caterpillars - http://www3.islandtelecom.com/~oehlkew/arctiidaecare.htm

The giant leopard moth caterpillar eats many things, most are weeds. I kept one a short time feeding it dandelion leaves. So when there are some dandelion leaves starting to grow, you could start to bring the caterpillar slowly into warmer temps, feeding it until it forms a cocoon.
Then wait for the moth to appear. The moth will need something to perch on while it fills its wings out, so when it is in the cocoon, putting a stick for it to hold on to or something like that in the container is a good idea. Make sure the container is large enough for the moth to emerge and fill out.

NOTE - Unfortunately, many caterpillars have been parasitized by other insects. When this happens it may grow and develop as far as the last stage of caterpillar or even the cocoon but dies before it can emerge as a moth. Many times you will see flies or wasps in the container that came out of the larva. It is not easy to rear moths from caterpillars because of this. Trying to provide conditions to imitate Nature is not easy and may provide unsuccessful results...but it is worth the try!!
Normally around May, spring brings warm weather and the caterpillars again become active, feeding for a brief time and then forming cocoons out of silk and body hairs. Tiger moths usually emerge from cocoons two to three weeks later.
If this is too much, put it back outside in a protected area and just look it up on the internet. That way they still learn about what they have found! :-)
Good luck! And let us know how it is doing!
found one too
by: Anonymous

The kids found one just like this one. We live in Memphis and its January. We have it in a jar. It is easily 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. All black---no bands of color. I put some water drop and leaves in the jar. Can the kids keep and watch it or should we put it back in the yard?
Giant Leopard moth caterpillar
by: Moni

Anonymous - all black catipiller:
Don't believe there is any scientific research to support the theory that all black banded woolly bear caterpillars predict the winter.
And tho I have not heard back from Brigid about size and coloration of her caterpillar, this is not one of the banded woolly bear caterpillars the the myth is about. It is probably the giant leopard moth caterpillar.

I saw a giant leopard moth caterpillar roaming around Dec 1 here in SE Iowa on that warm sunny day.
all black catipiller
by: Anonymous

acording to my granddad that means we are in for a long hard winter. You will find that in farmers almanac also, the longer the brown the shorter the winter. But my mother was here last week when my daughter found an all black one and she brought it to me and told me grandma said that we were in for a long hard winter,.
Tiger moth caterpillar
by: Moni

Brigid
Since your photo is of the bottom side of the caterpillar, and you do not say how big it is, it is hard to confirm which one this is. It is one of the tiger moth caterpillars.
In the winter these caterpillars hibernate. So, it found a spot in your garage or crawled in there looking for a place to hibernate for the winter. It is probably the giant leopard moth caterpillar if it is large and long(2-3" rather than 1").
Do you see red/orange between the segments when it stretches out?
If it does not stretch out when warm, then it might be parasitized by wasp or fly larva. When parasitized they tend to crunch up...they also do this when cold and hibernating.

If you have more size and color info or another photo view please let us know.
Thanks

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