Yellownecked caterpillar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellownecked caterpillar |
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The yellownecked caterpillar (Datana ministra) is a type of moth. It belongs to the Notodontidae family. You can find this moth in southern Canada and the United States. It lives mostly east of the Rocky Mountains. In the southwest, it can be found as far as California.
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About the Yellownecked Caterpillar
What Does It Look Like?
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 42 millimeters. This is about 1.6 inches wide. There is only one generation of these moths each year.
The Caterpillar's Life Cycle
The young caterpillars are the larvae of the moth. They eat the leaves of many different trees. These include Malus (apple trees), Quercus (oak trees), Betula (birch trees), and Salix (willow trees).
When they are very young, the caterpillars eat only the soft parts of the leaves. This leaves behind a skeleton-like pattern. As they grow bigger, they eat almost the entire leaf. They leave only the leaf stalk. These caterpillars like to eat in groups.
The caterpillars are easy to spot. They are yellowish with black stripes. They also have fine, white hairs all over their bodies. Their head is black. When they are fully grown, these caterpillars can be about 50 millimeters long. This is about 2 inches.
When the caterpillars are ready to change, they drop to the ground. They dig into the soil to become a pupa. This is where they spend the winter, safe underground.
Gallery
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Larva
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Larva
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Larva
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Pupa
