caterpillar, eats Poison Oak

[Galapoheros]

Sorry, no pic yet. I saw a few eating Poison Oak while I was spraying Poison Oak. I can't take that stuff, other than that I leave it pretty natural back there. The caterpillars are shiny and bright orange with some red on them. I'm so allergic to that stuff that seeing caterpillars eating it kind of freaked me out, but I'm just a biased human so no big deal they eat that stuff. I don't remember seeing them before. Any idea? I'll get pics later.

 

[Galapoheros]

I should have waited till I had pics in the first place but here they are. After taking pics and looking at them closer, I don't think they are caterpillars but instead maybe some kind of Sawfly larvae(?) They aren't as orange as I remembered them being when I first saw tehm.

 

[Tarantula_Hawk]

yea they definitely look like sawfly larvas.. just look at the peudolegs on the segment: if all of the segments have a pair then its a sawfly larva.. shape of the head and the eyes also are a good indicators

 

[BurrowDweller]

Most critters are unafftected by poison ivy and oak. Humans are just unlucky that our immune system is sensetive to it. It is often eaten by deer with no ill affects.

 

[Galapoheros]

They have some kind of very effective defense going on. I put one in with a praying mantis, it took a bite of the larvae and it flung it across it's container! It reminded me of a human biting into a raw habanero pepper!

 

[enjoier14]

They have some kind of very effective defense going on. I put one in with a praying mantis, it took a bite of the larvae and it flung it across it's container! It reminded me of a human biting into a raw habanero pepper!

lol that's awesome!