Also spotted in Westport, WA. Outside the deck at the beach.
Tiger Moth Caterpillar by: Moni
Gina
It is either the salt marsh caterpillar or the Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar. They both look very similar - if the face is mostly black or with black markings then it is the salt marsh caterpillar. If there are no black markings then it is the Virginian tiger moth caterpillar.
Both are tiger moth caterpillars. These are found all around fields, meadows, grasslands or weedy places. The caterpillars feed on mostly weedy plants. They can be found on garden and field crops but do not cause economic problems and are not considered a pest.
They can be reared but it does take time and careful watching to keep fresh food for the caterpillar until it is ready to pupate. Then keeping the pupa alive overwinter is tricky.
Here is what I have written for others wanting to try to rear caterpillars in case you want to try.
- The rearing of caterpillars is a challenge. Mother Nature does it best. And just so you know ahead of time, when you find a caterpillar in the 'wild', sometimes they have been parasitized....meaning another insect like a fly or wasp has laid eggs inside the caterpillar. So when you try to rear the caterpillar, it dies from the eggs inside it - not something you can predict.
Here is a good site for rearing caterpillars...click on Raising.... on the right hand side to read the various suggestions. You can also submit questions - Which I would recommend for this insect. These are folks that raise them regularly.
http://www.buglifecycle.com
With all that said the basics of rearing any insect is to feed it what it wants to eat...fresh (never sprayed with insecticides) food continually. Then, when the caterpillar stops eating...they will typically go searching for a place to pupate. It is best to provide layers of barely damp paper towels for the caterpillar to pupate in between. Then this needs to be kept someplace where the temperatures are much like outside. Not sure if just setting the container in the garage for the winter is OK or if the pupa will freeze. Some folks put them in the refrigerator then put a drop of water on the paper towel once a month thru the winter until the trees start to put out foliage. Then you would bring the pupa outside to let it emerge with the normal weather. Putting a stick in for the moth to climb up on.
This is a brief description and may not be enough for rearing but gives you an idea.
Please do a lot of internet research.
Had a roommate in college from Noblesville, so I know right where you are!
