Critters I Met on the Road

New Mexico. I believe this is a Painted Lady Caterpillar 

Oklahoma. Viceroy Butterfly Caterpillar.

Indiana. Here is a Cercopia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) which is part of the giant silk worm moth family. I believe this is a female due to her enlarged abdomen and the fact that her antennae aren't as bushy. They are the largest moth in North America, and this little baby clocked in at about 4.5" wingspan. She's beautiful.

Illinois. This incredibly disturbing looking creature is a wheel bug. They can fly, and their bite (administered with that huge prong on their head) is supposedly worse than a wasps bite. This one was sitting on a newspaper stand outside a gas station. He was about 3". They freak me the hell out.

Indiana. Virginian Tiger Moth. Soooo fuzzy and cute.

Oklahoma. This looks like a big ass ant (it was just shy of an inch long), but it's a wasp! They call it a Cow Killer Ant, evidently because the female is wingless and looks like an ant, and her sting is so painful it can kill a cow.

Oklahoma. I found the resident of the mysterious cocoon we discovered in Indiana. My grandparents willow tree was not doing too well, and we found that it was covered in Bagworm Moth cocoons. This little guy popped out to say hello before he was relocated.

I came across many more that I'm trying to identify.

Thanks for stopping by.

till next time.....♥