2 July 2013

2 July 2013 – Caterpillars in the Roses.

Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)

Hebrew Character Caterpillar

We found two caterpillars on a rose bush in the garden today! I believe the smaller one is a Hebrew Character caterpillar due to its green color and white streak on its side. It also has small black dots on its segments which are too small to be visible in the picture. I’ve included a picture of a Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica) moth that we caught on my very first day on the job! Poor thing is bit battered as it’s missing some scales from its head. Orthosis means ‘making straight,’ though I am unsure as to what this might mean. Gothicus ‘Gothic’ is meant to describe the black arch on the forewing. The other caterpillar is unknown to both Patrick and I. We haven’t been able to find it in our books. If anyone has an idea as to what it may be, please tweet us @LSterneTrust or send an email to shandyhall@dial.pipex.com!

Unknown Caterpillar Type*

*We believe this may be a Shoulder-stripe (Anticlea badiata) caterpillar.

– Post by Jane Wu