What the hell is THIS??

[Redstone]

Biggest honkin caterpillar I've EVER seen. Damn thing is the size of a half-smoked cigar.

Anyone know what it is? What it's going to turn into?

Redstone

[GOPisEvil]

1. Jesus! Is that thing going to turn into Mothra?

[Redstone]

2. That's what I'm afraid of. Should I go stomp it now?

Redstone

[GOPisEvil]

5. I'd feed it a tree and hope it's my friend.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

7. Don't stomp it

Pick it up gently with a leaf, walk gently to a far-off yard and fling it with all your might.

[Redstone]

10. It's 40 feet into the swamp across the street now. Think that's far enough?

Redstone

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

11. Maybe another 400,000 feet - that should about cover it

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Beat me to it!

Listen carefully for tiny Japanese twins singing.

[rug]

4. An articulated turd

with polka dots.

[KitchenWitch]

6. Tell me, Redstone, do you live near a nuclear facility?

:scared:

[Redstone]

8. Uh, actually, there's one about 20 miles away. NOW I'm worried.

Redstone

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Throw a neighbor's tiny, yapping dog at it. If it doesn't eat or cocoon the dog, you're safe.

Edit: For now.

[KitchenWitch]

14. YIKES!

I live about 20 from San Onofre...Not a place I would want to have my car break down...too afraid the Dept of Homeland Security might think I am a terrorist.

[lost-in-nj]

9. I saw this before.....

run...
fast
the other way...

No really I have seen it. Don't know what it is but
I think we are going to get pummeled this winter....
I cannot find my patio because of the nuts and nut casings from the squirrels


:hi:

Man thats the things night mares are made of.....


lost

[Redstone]

12. No, it's the fur on the Wooly Bears that predicts winter. This one's nekkid. And

revolting.

Redstone

[zanne]

16. I don't know what it is, but don't kill it.

Its' family will come back to kill you.

[Redstone]

18. Good God, you mean that's the LITTLE brother?

Redstone

[zanne]

22. yup. That's the baby. nt

[Redstone]

25. OK; next time you hear from me I'll be in Arizona.

Redstone

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. I'm guessing, just guessing, that's a Pandora Sphinx caterpillar.

[CGowen]

17. yes

http://www.javajane.co.uk/Hawk%20Sphinx%20moths/slides/pandorus_sphinxmoth.html


http://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/gbi/gbi.phtml?cid=gbi39a12992b38ae

[Richard Steele]

19. Yup- Eumorpha pandorus.

[Redstone]

21. Hey, don't keep me hanging, dammit! Does it turn into a 747-size moth?

Redstone

[Richard Steele]

23. Believe it or not, the moth only has about a 4 1/2 inch wingspan.

Which is big, sure...but not all THAT big.
(LINK to the page I found it on: http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?guide=Caterpillars)

[Redstone]

24. Dang, I hope I see that when it hatches; that's one COOL-looking moth!

Redstone

[Richard Steele]

26. Well, just leave your porch light on!

Seriously!

I think I've seen one of those before, although
I didn't look it up at the time. Sure looks the same
as the one I saw, though.

It showed up 2 nights in a row last summer.

I remember it because of the SIZE, and because it didn't
spend all night circling the light like all the other moths.
It landed on the glass case and stayed in that spot all night.
Returned after dusk the next evening and did the same thing.

[Redstone]

27. I'll keep an eye (and camera) out. Thanks for the info.

Redstone

[yellowdogintexas]

35. looks like the one I found in my caladiums several years ago

I thought this was the prettiest moth I had ever seen, and I have never seen another one since the year I had all those caladiums in my window box

[Richard Steele]

43. Yup- that's gotta be one of those Pandora Sphinxs, don't ya think?

Pretty, aren't they? It stands out well against that
caladium leaf, but it's plain to see that its patterns
would be a GREAT camouflage against a different backround.

I think I got some pics of the one I saw last year,
but they'd be on my DEAD external HD, so I can't get
at them right now.

Thanks for sharing yours! :thumbsup:

[Blue_Roses]

42. lol

:rofl:

[Redstone]

20. So it grow up to be the Sphinx? Or Pandora's Box? EEEYAH!!!

Redstone

[Cabcere]

28. Scary?

:scared: That's friggin' HUGE. I'm getting creeped out just looking at it!

[Redstone]

29. And it didn't even have its nose/mouth part extended in that picture. THAT was truly

yucko-looking.

Redstone

[Cabcere]

31. Bleargh!

Thanks for posting the "tamer" picture. :scared: :hi:

[Redstone]

32. My camera refused to work when I tried to take the picture of it with the mouth out;

the camera actually puked out the memory card rather than accept such an insult.

Redstone

[Cabcere]

33. Wow...that's intense.

I guess it's a good thing for all of us here that your camera has such strong self-preservation instincts. :scared:

[Ptah]

30. That would frighten me. I'd get a scorpion between me and that.

[Redstone]

34. I'm glad I didn't stomp it; turns out that it becomes a really cool-looking moth...

see reply #23. It's happily munching away at the skunk cabbage in the swamp right now after I pitched it into there.

Redstone

[Ptah]

36. Yes, a happy resolution.

I hope you can photograph it after the metamorphosis.

[Redstone]

37. I will indeed keep the camera and flash ready over the next few weeks. Hey, is it

time for the gardens to wind down, down your way, or do you have some more productive time? We don't get First Frost for about another month, but the tomatoes are starting to droop, and the melons are all in.

Redstone

[Ptah]

38. Well, my peppers from a late planting are green and flowering.

I'm thinking of putting in some more beans, and maybe some gourds.

Our first frost might not be for a while, probably December, If we have any freezing.

[greatauntoftriplets]

39. Nothing that I would want to deal with!!!!

EEK. What an ugly thing. And BIG!

[JohnnyLib2]

40. Terra! Terra! WMDs---they're here.

[LynzM]

41. Eep!

Stick that thing in a jar, I wanna see it! :rofl:

[Jamastiene]

44. I think it's a swallowtail butterfly larva.

I'm not sure though. I might could try to look it up on one the bug sites I have bookmarked.