truthseqr's Journal

On Sunday, May 31, 2020, I happened upon dozens of salt marsh moth larvae. According to Wikipedia,
"The larva, known as the salt marsh caterpillar, which grows to about 5 cm (2 in) in length, is highly variable in color, ranging from pale yellow to rusty orange brown to dark brownish black. It is hairy, with numerous soft setae, growing in tufts (several tufts on each segment), with a few individual hairs that are longer toward the end of the body. The thoracic and abdominal segments have a few rows of orange or black warts, and it has one tiny white dot per segment, on both sides of its body."

I found them on the following six plants (in order of frequency):

• Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
• Broadleaved Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium)
• Bindweeds (Genus Convolvulus)
• Armenian Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus)
• Stinking Chamomile (Anthemis cotula)
• Shortpod Mustard (Hirschfeldia incana)

There were so many different sizes, colors, and patterns of these delightful caterpillars, that I went a little hog-wild in photographing them, but I don't know when I'll see them again.

Reference:
https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Estigmene+acrea&search=Search

At first glance, this hillside near the Sunnyvale, CA water treatment plant and the Baylands looked very bare. Goats were brought in to "mow" the hillside in mid-April:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42234313

But it was interesting to see what plants are the first to sprout on this seemingly barren hillside: ribwort plantain, shortpod mustard, bristly oxtongue, mallow, yellow starthistle, bird's foot trefoil, and wild oats, all of which attracted bees, butterflies, and wasps.

Not so barren after all.