Look
for the fuzzy white body of the Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar. This year,
they seem to turn up in all sorts of places. As I write this, one is fast
approaching on the driveway, its white body easily visible on the asphalt,
undulating as it makes its way.
It’s
curious where this little thing is intent on going, as it seems to be making a
bee-line toward the house. When turned around with a stick, it reorients to the
same direction and steadfastly marches onward. I wonder if it is simply going
uphill or is following an easterly path, keeping the sun to its right as it
goes along.
They
are pretty little things, with a black stripe down their midline and tufts of
antennae-like black hairs at either end. These are barbed with inflammatory
defense, and like our ubiquitous poison ivy, may cause a nasty response to
persons who handle the caterpillar.
The
adult moth emerges in the spring from a cocoon that has overwintered in the
leaf mold. The moth is pale yellow with mottled brown spots and feeds on
hickory, ash and oak, among other deciduous fare. With our big blacks out
front, it’s no wonder we have the caterpillars around in such numbers. They are
in the lawn, on windowsills, and in the barn.
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