On August 6 at Jennings Prairie we found a big green “cat” with a yellow face. Ramona Sahni held the twig while I took the caterpillar’s picture.
Dianne Machesney later identified it as the larva of a Promethea moth (Callosamia promethea). He’s named for Prometheus, a Titan in Greek mythology who was a clever trickster and benefactor of mankind.
Nowadays “Promethean” means “boldly creative, defiantly original” — and because he was a Titan, “big.” The adult male and female moths show off these qualities.
It’s amazing that they look so different.
Big, bold, defiantly original. No wonder these moths are Promethean. 😉
(caterpillar photo by Kate St. John. Moth photos from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the images to see the originals)
Great photo of that caterpillar Kate. I’m guessing that some type of bird may feed on this caterpillar. Or are they like Monarch’s? Supposedly birds generally do not like eating Monarchs, although I don’t know if birds like to eat Monarch larvae.