Monday, October 6, 2014

A stitch too late

The hydrangea leaftiers wrapped themselves in multiple layers of protection, but what did they need to be shielded against?  Another group of caterpillars that I encountered over the summer illustrated a potential danger.  These caterpillars were also busy tying leaves.

Woven together leaves.
However, as they built their shelters, they were exposed on the exterior of the leaves.

A caterpillar, probably of a tortricid moth (Tortricidae). 
One of the vulnerable caterpillars exhibited evidence of a recent attack: two parasitoid eggs attached to its body.

A caterpillar with two parasitoid eggs on it.
Even if this caterpillar escaped the attention of predators and hid itself within the leaves, it was probably the parasitoid larvae that benefited from the shelter in the end.

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