Subject: Re: Interesting caterpillar

From: Catherine Clark <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 22:03:18 -0500

How about Bagworm?  They are common in Maryland where I used to live
(Montgomery County), usually seen on Red Cedar trees.

        Does anyone know of competition between Monarch caterpillars and
those of the Milkweed Tussock Moth?  A friend of mine here in Wisconsin saw
the former flailing its body violently from side to side on a Common
Milkweed; there was a Tussock caterpillar perched just below it... My
friend thinks the Tussock somehow excludes (attacks?) the Monarch --
perhaps it has something to do with those spiky hairs?  Please elucidate.

---

From: [email-masked] (MikeDunn)
Date: 10 Aug 1995 20:32:33 -0400

It certainly sounds like a bagworm. These are fascinating (although
considered by many to be destructive, moth larvae). We use them quite
often as a teaching tool for school grounds ecology workshops. They can be
quite common and have an interesting reproductive cycle with the female
being wingless and confined to her "bag" while the male emerges from the
bag for its nuptial flight. We most often find them on red cedar,
arborvitae and leyland cypress. Yours sounded like it was searching for a
place to pupate. They overwinter as pupae. You can often deterrmine the
sex of the critter that was in the "bag" in the winter since the males
usually leave part of the pupal skin (case?) hanging out below the bag
when they emrge whereas the females do not (we call them innie's (female)
and "outies" (male) to help teachers remember them).