All About Caterpillars

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Suzanne Wainwright-Evans

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These redhumped oakworm caterpillars nibble on oak foliage.

Munch munch munch. You know the damage. You go to the garden to admire your favorite plant and discover the leaves are missing. Who was the culprit?! Quite often it’s caterpillars!

What does a caterpillar look like?

Many gardeners are pretty good at identifying caterpillar insects as the soft-bodied larval form of butterflies and moths. The body is wormlike in appearance, but it can have “hairs.” (As some of these hairs are actually spines modified to sting, caution should be used when handling the larvae.) They come in a variety of colors, typically made up of browns to greens, and come in many patterns. Leg number varies too: Some can get around your plants just fine without having any legs at all, whereas others can have up to seven pairs. Once these caterpillars are done feeding they become butterflies and moths.

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The black swallowtail caterpillar feeds on dill.

An adult female butterfly or moth mates and selects a host plant on which to deposit its eggs. The eggs can be laid singly or in groups. Once the egg hatches, the larva emerges and feeds on its host plant. Larvae go through a series of molts (shedding of “skin”) until they reach a certain size. They then stop feeding and search for a place to pupate, later to emerge from their pupal cases as winged adults.

If you’re interested in identifying your particular caterpillar pest, the best place to start is by knowing the host plant. You can perform lookups in caterpillar books or on the Internet, starting with caterpillar host plants. (Given that some species can sting, be sure you know what kind of caterpillar you’re dealing with to prevent injury.)

Facts

Caterpillars are a kind of insect, belonging to the order Lepidoptera.
There are more than 12,000 different moth and butterfly species in North America.

Tips

Treat your plants when caterpillar insects are young – that’s when the pests are more susceptible.
Help control caterpillar populations by planting plants that attract native beneficial insects to the garden. Examples include dill, calendula and cilantro.

Faqs

Q: How did the caterpillars get on my plants in the first place?
A: An adult female butterfly or moth mates and selects a host plant on which to deposit its eggs. The eggs can be laid singly or in groups. Once the egg hatches, the larva emerges and feeds on its host plant. Larvae go though a series of molts (shedding of “skin”) until they reach a certain size. They then stop feeding and search for a place to pupate, later to emerge from their pupal cases as winged adults.

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