How Are Caterpillars So Cute Yet So Creepy, I Mean Really
New England is home to some really, really weird caterpillars. Take, for example, the Harris three spot. The creepy crawler looks a bit like a spider and a bit like bird poop. As if that isnt weird enough it carries around moltings of its own head to sling at enemies. Samuel Jaffe cant help but love it.
Caterpillars are just the craziest things I know, says the entomologist, who lives in Massachusetts and has spent the past five years photographing the regions caterpillars. They dont need to worry about being attractive to a mate. They only have to eat and not be eaten.
The self-described caterpillar addict raises moth and butterfly eggs, which means his house often is filled with munching larvae. Its not uncommon to find them crawling up a wall or meandering across his television screen. Once theyve reached just the right stage of development, he photographs them lounging atopand often gnawing upona tasty leaf. I really enjoy showing the relationship between caterpillar and plant, he says. Its the animals whole worldhabitat and food.
Caterpillars arent your typical models, though. Getting them to do anything other than chow down takes ingenuity. Tickle a caterpillar on its rear end with a paintbrush and maybe it will inflate its hidden orange horns, Jaffe says. Blow on it and perhaps it will go rigidlike a twig. Send another caterpillar its way and a battle may commence.
The photographers patience has paid off. His images are lushlydetailed, capturing the bugs comically beady eyes and velvety skin. Its hard not to smile, and even anthropomorphize them. The spotted Apatelodes seems a bit like a slob with its out-of-control mop, while Dasylophia looks like it couldnt be prouder of its bright colors and wild pattern.
When Jaffe finishes shooting, he lets his subjects complete their metamorphosis before releasing them to fly free as moths and butterflies. He occasionally takes them to Caterpillar Lab , an educational nonprofit he founded in 2013 to advance his goal of making New Englanders more aware of the astonishing, magical creatures that live right in their own backyards. I want to show people that theyre at their fingertips, he says.
Samuel Jaffes work is on display at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio through the end of September.
http://www.wired.com/2015/07/samuel-jaffe-caterpillars-of-new-england-capterillars/
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Who knew?
Who knew that there were so many caterpillars that were so beautiful?
And even more than that, who knew that photographers could put together such a display of beauty from a group of creatures most think are pretty creepy
I will look at the next caterpillar I run across in the garden with more interest
Enjoy!
Truly beautiful creatures.
Great series of photos RIO.
Kavika
Thanks for the feedback
I am glad you liked the photos
I love how, many times, the caterpillars resemble the butterfly they become! They are so neat, and pretty!
thanks for this!
Dowser
I had no idea there were so many different types and you are right they are beautiful
Thanks for the feedback
These are fantastic photos, RIO. I never saw such a collection ofcaterpillars. They are as varied as the butterflies they become.
Perrie
Thanks for the feedback, I had no idea that there were so many different types, colors, shapes and varieties of caterpillars.
I will have to keep a good eye out in the garden from now on.
I love how beautiful butterflies can be and now I guess I see where a lot of it comes from
Does anyone expect that the winged versions remember anything about their time as crawling critters ? Or is the transformation too complete ...
Love the photos! I freely admit I don't know much about them, but as a kid in the country I loved watching them munching on leaves. I ca only remember a few kinds, but they were very fuzzy and seemed to be of several colors. Anyway, thanks again for the photos!
T G D
Glad you liked the photos
I love to watch the beautiful butterflies in the garden and when walking in the woods and always knew that they came from caterpillars, but that was it I never knew that there were so many varieties of caterpillar or that they themselves were so beautiful.
Petey
Well I have never seen a butterfly attack a caterpillar or vice versa so perhaps they have memories of the past and the caterpillars look forward to "growing up"
Every butterfly has its own unique caterpillare, RIO-- most of them are truly beautiful! I'd love to know which caterpillar becomes which butterfly... This is a monarch and its caterpillar:
Dowser
Incredibly beautiful - I was checking some out on line
Thanks for sharing this pair.