Wooly Bear

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

leonardturner
Posts: 713
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:40 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Wooly Bear

Post by leonardturner »

I had seen this guy for a couple of days stretched out on the concrete and unmoving, maybe having gotten a too-early jump on spring. Thinking him perhaps dead, I picked him up and brought him inside to have a look. Not only was he very much alive, but in the warmer temperature and having been moved about he became a near perpetual motion machine, rolling over and over like a puppy wanting a belly rub. He had perhaps wintered over but hadn't gotten a real start on a yet unrealized spring; I don't know why he might have chosen the concrete in plain view of potential predators as a resting site before beginning the next phase of his journey to becoming a moth. Wanting to have a closer look at him but unwilling to interfere with his future plans in a permanent way and therefore unable to do any sort of stacking, I thought it might be interesting to explore what could be done with a small (2-3 inch) wriggling creature with a regular macro lens and electronic flash, followed by the application of whatever digital manipulation and vicious cropping I could muster.



_DSC6157WCDen.jpg
Larval forms have both temporary prolegs (lower segments) and 6 real legs, here with claws (which will persist in the eventual moth).

_DSC6034.jpg
Detail view of proleg.

_DSC6165.jpg
This predominantly black creature with narrow reddish bands suggests late development under favorable growing conditionsl

_DSC6203.jpg
Detail of how the proleg works.

_DSC6202WDen.jpg
Prolegs and true legs both have work to do.



Leonard Turner

Scarodactyl
Posts: 1617
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:26 am

Re: Wooly Bear

Post by Scarodactyl »

These are impressive photos for such a wiggly little critter!

MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
Contact:

Re: Wooly Bear

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Very nice! This particular species is Hypercompe scribonia, and it becomes what is known as the "leopard moth", which is a stunning creature: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1933406/bgimage
I've seen a few of these caterpillars in the Fall, but not nearly as many as the regular one with the broad red-brown band in the middle. Those commonly revive when we get a warm spell late in the winter. I just had one crawling across my porch and I suppose it was overwintering in the crevice between the ground and house, and that is why it wound up wandering on my porch. It would seem more sensible to pupate and overwinter like that, but no....
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

leonardturner
Posts: 713
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:40 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Re: Wooly Bear

Post by leonardturner »

My thanks to you both!

Leonard

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic