[NatureNS] unknown caterpillar

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From: Bev Wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 May 2015 07:22:34 -0300
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Hi Nancy,

Although there are several similar looking caterpillars, based on your photo, it looks rather like the larva of Egira alternans - the Alternate Woodling moth.  I checked a couple of range maps for the species and there are several records in New Brunswick.  I don't know if there are records for that moth in Nova Scotia, but someone else may know.  Anyhow, according to David Wagner, in his (wonderful!) book, Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America, there is one generation with mature caterpillars from late April into early July.  Foodplants include blueberry, buckeye, cherry, honeysuckle, leatherleaf, mountain holly, oak, rhododendron, silver bell, sourwood, walnut and willow.  In the US, he states it "abound in the coastal woodlands of North Carolina and New Jersey."  By the way, I have occasionally had caterpillars seem to come to my moth sheets when the lights are on at night.
I found a few examples of Egira alternans caterpillar images on line.   This one from New Hampshire is on bugguide.net.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/21631/bgpage

regards,
Bev Wigney 


On 2015-05-12, at 7:15 PM, nancy dowd <nancypdowd@gmail.com> wrote:

> I found this large (30mm long) caterpillar around the outdoor lights under the eaves early this morning (can't imagine it was attracted to the lights, probably just coincidence?):
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/92981528@N08/17388334659/in/dateposted-public/
> 
> I posted it on BugGuide for ID but someone here may know what it is. There has been little action around the lights so far this cool Spring and this is the first caterpillar I have encountered outside other than the hardy Wooly Bears.
> 
> Thanks for any ideas, Nancy

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