The Hickory Horned Devil (Citheronia regalis) is the largest caterpillar in North America. It will eventually burrow into the ground to metamorphose into a regal moth, which has a 6-inch wingspan, but is much less bulky than its caterpillar form. The caterpillar molts four times to become this big (up to six inches long), and is bright green only in its final phase.
Just before pupation, the larva expels its gut and changes color from green to turquoise, the skin of the fully fed creature stretched shiny and tight. They then crawl down the host plant, where they burrow into the dirt and pupate in a well formed chamber at a depth of five to six inches. The pupae are dark brown/black in color, and have a relatively short cremaster. Some pupae overwinter for 2 seasons, perhaps as an adaption to variable and adverse conditions such as fires and flooding, or to maintain genetic diversity across generations.
The caterpillar is harmless, and only looks scary to protect itself while it's this big and easy for predators to see. This one was recorded in Dothan, Alabama. -via Daily of the Day
Comments (2)
Well, that's a new word I learned today!
It's a lot like punk rockers in that way.
I do like this clock. I think it's because I get the sense of about what time it is instead of the exact time. Since the arrival of the digital display I feel inundated with the obsession to know the exact time. I feel a sense of freedom when I go through my day without caring what time it is. This clock would help me keep that feeling while providing a gentler and sometimes necessary reminder of the time of day.
For instance:
It's about four.
and not
"At the sound of the tone it is exactly four thirteen."
And come on, if after owning the clock for a day or two you can't approximate how closely the hands are to forming the letters withing (a very generous) fifteen minutes, you probably should just have a big digital watch anyway and forget the "hands" style altogether :)
This is a very clever art piece.