Eastern tent caterpillar - Malacosoma americanum
in this particular photograph the worm is looking for a place to lay up to become a moth
Tent caterpillars hatch from their eggs in the early spring at the time
the leaves of their host trees are just unfolding. The caterpillars
establish their tent soon after they eclose.
The tent is constructed at a site that intercepts the early morning
sun. The position of the tent is critical because the caterpillars must
bask in the sun to elevate their temperatures above the cool ambient
temperatures that occur in the early spring. Studies have shown that
when the body temperature of a caterpillar is less than about 15 °C,
digestion cannot occur. The tent consists of discrete layers of silk
separated by gaps and the temperature in these compartments varies
markedly. Caterpillars can adjust their body temperatures by moving from
one compartment to another. On cool mornings they typically rest in a
tight aggregate just under a sunlit surface of the tent. It is not
uncommon to find that the temperature of the aggregate is as much as
30 °C (54 °F) warmer than the surrounding air temperature on cold but
sunny spring mornings. Later on in the spring, temperatures may become
excessive at mid day and the caterpillars may retreat to the shaded
outside surface of the tent to cool down.
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