What do you do when you come across a caterpillar the size of your finger? In Jericho, it means a moment of wonder—and a question for Bugeyed Bernie. Join this delightful exchange about an uncommon Canadian Imperial Moth sighting, the joys of dirt road wandering, and how paying attention to the small things leads to big discoveries.
From Dirt Roads to Discoveries: A Giant Caterpillar in Jericho.
Dear bugeyed Bernie,
"Hey Bernie - saw this thick caterpillar on the road during my walk today. It was large, about the size of my ring finger! What is it?
Exploring dirt roads and anything crossing
Dear dirt road walker,
First, I must applaud your interest in walking dirt roads in Jericho. My partner Maeve and I took up dirt road explorations a few years back, walking nearly every dirt road in Jericho over a few years' time. See our Town Walks series on my Jericho, Vermont blog posts (see Town Walks Listing).
We found that walking the roads offers much more to see, both in nature as well as rural people's lives. The modest pace fed into our hearts, minds, and lungs as we passed, breathed in, and absorbed visually, the flower beds, cows, goats, sheep, pastures, woodlands, antiquities, old and new homes, butterflies and birds, and so much more that we had not noticed before.
On to the observation you shared. 
What is it? Canadian Imperial Moth (Eacles pini)
Uncommon
Denise, thank you for sharing! Quite a lovely find. I have never found one. Nice looking, even majestic, caterpillar, as is the moth it becomes. It is a Canadian Imperial Moth, specifically Eacles imperialis pini, a subspecies of the Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) found in Canada and the northern United States. The large, colorful saturniid moth it becomes has bright yellow wings with brown or purple markings and inhabits coniferous and transitional forests. The moth's larvae feed on pine needles and other host plants, and both larvae and adults are valuable pollinators and a food source in their ecosystems.
The caterpillar is always recognizable by its long, silky setae and prominent white spiracles. *Setae: hair-like bristles covering their bodies that serve as a defense mechanism against predators and for insulation. *Spiracles are small holes along the sides of their bodies that function as their respiratory openings, allowing them to breathe.
PS best not to handle the caterpillars as some people may experience an itchy rash from contact with the hairs.
They go through five instars. *A caterpillar instar is a stage in a caterpillar's life cycle between molts, where it sheds its skin to grow larger.
Its food plants: E. i. pini, the Northern subspecies larvae feed on pines.
As with all of Saturniidae, the adults do not feed. Their mouth parts have been reduced.
Eacles imperialis is one of a few saturniid species in a regional decline throughout the northeastern US, with some New England states lacking records for many decades
References:
- Caterpillars of Eastern North America, David L. Wagner
- Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, David Beadle & Seabrooke Beckie.
- Wikipedia
- Michigan Natural Features Inventory
Postscript: "Thanks for the reply, Bernie! I did a little poking around after I emailed you and came up with the same answer using iNaturalist :) Thanks for the nudge to enter the info there, which I have now done. I'm sure that as I get more familiar with using it, it will become second nature to enter what I see.
I've never seen that caterpillar. So big! I helped the fella to the side of the road and will hope for the best. I definitely have been more cognizant of the bugs around me since you've been here. Mission accomplished!" - Denise
Bugeyed Bernie
What's your *inverting question?
Write it in the comment section of VT Bug Eyed.
View more photos of this lovely creature.
View all of my latest LIFE observations on iNaturalist.
* Inverting is the observation of invertebrates.
