punk rock caterpillar

there are
many days,
especially
in this
last year,
that i felt
like
giving up
on research
and
pursuing
something
else...

but then
there are
days
like yesterday...
a cool summer
morning,
after the rain,
all alone
in the trees.
quiet.
those moments
in the trees
thinking
and
collecting
caterpillars
is when
it feels
right.

although
the research
questions
i ask
are
based on
ecology
and
evolution,
it's really
my love
of insects
that
fuels
my work.

so yesterday
as i was
collecting
i saw
one
of
my favorite
caterpillars
just
hanging out
on a leaf
and
i thought
of telling
you all
about it.



the species
is called
the
white-marked
tussock moth,
Orgyia leucostigma.
they are in the
the
tussock moth
family,
Lymantriidae,
same as the
notorious
gypsy moth.
they
get the name
from
the crazy
dense tufts
of hair called
tussocks.
when i
first saw them
i thought
of this:


photo by ann summa

i
dubbed them
punk rock
caterpillars
and
vowed
to work on them.

funny enough,
last year
(due to
some
preliminary
genetic work
i did)
they became
the focus
of my research.



finding
this
little guy
can make
my day.

yesterday
was
a good day,
i found
3 of them!

i also
found
this
cute
katydid
sitting
on a leaf
(i put it
back)



next week,
another caterpillar
and
my caterpillar
t-shirt
designs...

value village
tomorrow,
hooray!

xo