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Evergreen Bagworm Moth
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis
41.6113, -73.4766
Field Notes
Description:
I went to check on the evergreen bagworms that I have been photographing this summer, and found the caterpillars to be pretty active! This one was pooping when I took this shot. I felt a bit bad intruding on a private moment, but not bad enough to stop myself from capturing it! And, now we know that arborvitae needles come out the same color that they go in.
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Bagworms are not really worms, but are caterpillars - they are the immature stage of a moth. They're called "bagworms" because they construct bags/cases that are covered with pieces of twigs and/or leaves.
Habitat:
Spotted on some kind of arbortivae in a rural area.
Notes:
In this species, the larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her pupal case. These newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind will then blow them to a nearby plant where they can build their own cases made of silk, fecal material, and plant bits. Adult males transform into moths in about four weeks and immediately seek out females for mating. The females never leave the cocoon, but wait for a male to stick its abdomen through the opening at the end of her case so they can mate. Females do not have eyes, legs, wings, or antennae...and, they can't eat. After her death, her offspring hatch and then pass through her body and leaver her body.
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Click here for my previous bagworm spotting on this same bush; http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1766290277
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