Cecropia Moth caterpillar taken by Pati in Springwater, NY

Here is a picture of a cecropia moth caterpillar, taken by Pati, in her garden.  You can tell it’s a caterpillar, as opposed to another kind if insect larva, by the 4 pairs of abdominal prolegs, that it’s using to hold onto the branch.  Like all moths, it makes its transformationm from larva to adult inside a silk cocoon.  The silk in the cocoon of a certain moth, the silkworm, Bombyx mori, is of high enough quality to make commercial silk.

The adult cecropia moth, from the caterpillar in the picture, is quite large and rather nice looking.  I have a picture of it in my insect book and can show it to you on a Sunday hike.