Hairs - _TNY_8882
This young one (third or fourth instar) caterpillar will hopefully grow up to become a moth known as the vapourer (Orgyia antiqua), aka the rusty tussock moth.
The design keeps on getting more over the top so the fith instar stage looks like this: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/29075701475/
As an adult it will either be a male which looks like this: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/20748254344/ (underside: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/29163845797/) or if it is a female (no photo) it will come out of the pupa without wings and stay close to it, waiting for the male to detect her scent and come to her to mate. They have a ridiculously good sense of smell and can detect a female kilometers away (or perhaps she just smells that nice).
Hairs - _TNY_8882
This young one (third or fourth instar) caterpillar will hopefully grow up to become a moth known as the vapourer (Orgyia antiqua), aka the rusty tussock moth.
The design keeps on getting more over the top so the fith instar stage looks like this: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/29075701475/
As an adult it will either be a male which looks like this: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/20748254344/ (underside: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/29163845797/) or if it is a female (no photo) it will come out of the pupa without wings and stay close to it, waiting for the male to detect her scent and come to her to mate. They have a ridiculously good sense of smell and can detect a female kilometers away (or perhaps she just smells that nice).