Grey Spikey by TwoPynts
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Description
"I get the point!" ~~~~~
I could have sworn that someone would think that I might be trying to be patriotic and guessed "blue" as today's color, but no-one did. And yes, though rare, there are blue caterpillars (Sugary Gray Moth). But this was not one of them. If you had guessed gray, black(inshalla), brown(odie), yellow(prionbrain & jif3D) and orange, then you would have been correct! ;'] Leeco posted an image of one of these not to long ago, and some of you may recognize this one from our recent Macro Genre contest. Have a super weekend everyone! ----- Fir Tussock Moth (Orgyia detrit) Family: Tussock Moths (Lymantriidae) Other Common Name: Live Oak Tussock Moth Tussock moth caterpillars are occasionally abundant and widespread in northcentral Florida. Besides the annoying presence of numerous hairy caterpillars, these insects may spin their difficult-to-remove cocoons on houses, boats, picnic tables and other outdoor articles. Feeding by the caterpillars usually has little impact on oak trees, their preferred hosts, but wind-blown caterpillars may land on and defoliate small trees and shrubs around the yard. Life Cycle: Hatch from the overwintering eggs starts around March 1 when oak trees are flushing. Caterpillars feed and grow over a period of 4 to 6 weeks. The 2-week long pupal stage occurs from early to mid April. Male moths emerge and fly to the wingless females from mid April into early May. Females lay a mass of eggs on their cocoons. Depending on the species, there is either no further activity until the following spring, or the eggs will hatch after a few weeks and produce another generation. Identification: The most common of the 3 Orgyia species we have in Florida is Orgyia detrita. Caterpillars of this species generally are dark bodied with a red head, 2 black "hair pencils" projecting forward like antennae, 4 dense tufts of hair (tussocks) on the back, and a fluffy tuft projecting to the rear like a tail. Unique to this species are the orange-colored spots along the back and sides. Caterpillars of the whitemarked tussock moth, Orgyia leucostigma, are similar looking but are distinguished by their lighter body color and yellow spots. The rarely-encountered third species, Orgyia definita, has a yellow or tan head to go with its pale body, hair pencils and tussocks. Range: Atlantic coast from Long Island to FL and west to Texas. More common than O. leucostigma in FL. Remarks: The hairs of the ccaterpillar may cause irritation to sensitive skin if you handle them, though they are not among the stinging caterpillars. -----
Thanks for your prickly comments on my previous upload,
White Spikey
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Panasonic DMC-FZ50 & PhotoshopCS. (891)
Boca Raton, FL, USA 2007
Sponsored by: 
Kramer Kreations 
Comments (47)
DELMUR
A super collection !(beautifull macro again)
olivier158
beurk, still don't like insects lol .. lol this one is funny lol but your pic is great ! i like all the details.. very sharp !
carlx
Awesome macro, with wonderful colors and details!!! Outstanding capture!!!
NekhbetSun
Ouch part deux :o) this one looks far more lethal than the previous...good one Kort !
stuart83
Excellent macro, would make a good bottle brush Stuart
odie
LOL@bottle brush! I caught something similar on a Hosta leaf and called it fuzzy punk caterpillar. The name still works here! This one's a beauty.
Gor111
Oh what a wonderful hairy looking beauty she is! This caterpillar is a real marvellous looking insect! An excellent macro shot!!!
acquilon
but where you look for these pics? are fantastics bravo
jif3d
Very fine hair/fur on this one, well at least I guessed the yellow dots ! something very Alien about it, must be the antennas, fine macro Kort. ~Cheers~ :o)
Mondwin
Absolutely fantastic Macro...bravissimo Dear Friend!!:DDD.Hugsxx
Ionel
I remember, this one is from Jupiter! Excellently done! :)
elmurray
The detail in this is just awesome. Sorry, can't look at it for too long, it makes my spine tingle! Excellent work Kort. Bravo! *****
Denger
This one's a beauty!
Loloe
Superb macro!!!this caterpillar is gorgeous! Bravo!!
BibbyBear
Ah now I think this one is much cuter than yesterday's spiky creature andyou've captured all the detail brilliantly in this macro shot. Love the composition too. xx
LudyMelltSekher
{@}~>---Hello my dear friend, A wonderful Photography full of harmony and beauty. Fantastic work. Superbly done!! Congratulations!! It is a real luxury to visit your gallery. A million stars and applauses from me.** (Thanks you very much for the nice comments,they are very estimated for my) That this Friday be a beautiful day for you Hug and kiss in Your heart. Luminous blesing. Ludy@>--->---
sharky_
Interesting series. Excellent. Aloha
Zorg1955
Where do you find it ????????????????? HUGE macro !!!! EXCELLENT again Kort !
prionbrain
Ah it's gorgeous macro indeed!!! Very fluffy thing:))!!!
visionart
Picture Perfect.....Just Excellent!!!!
Janiss
Oh la la ... PERFECT... and such DOF!
rainbows
Incredible details, Kort. Magnificent macro.. This fella looks scary!! Diane.
mark.spooner
Another detailed macro, beautiful subject!
MaydaMason
another nice creature!
awjay
superb....... :)
danob
Quite a series of some outstanding caterpillars... This is superb
alhak
he's so cute this one! excellent shot!
bpclarke
Superb macro shot. Love the colors and the details throughout this image. Bunny
goodoleboy
Hey, you can't fool me...that's one of those bottle brush thingies that you clean out thermos bottles with! Great POV and detail in this shot, my friend!
Richardphotos
I seldom see any evidence of butterflies in this stage.maybe just not looking hard enough.incredible detail and focus