Comments on: Caterpillars Eat Dogwood Leaves While White Wood Asters and False Solomon Seal Berries Brighten the Woods

By: wilde

wilde — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:19:46 +0000

Hi there, Creeped Out! The brown cocoons are probably evergreen bagworms. Check out the photo here: brown cocoons on pines. You can pick them off to save the branches. If you're grossed out, just wear a pair of gloves and drop the cocoons into a pail of water. Good luck!

By: creeped out

creeped out — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:22:40 +0000

i have these brown pinecone looking cocoons on my evergreen bush with brown caterpillers coming out the tops to eat the tree? what are they? i’ve never seen anything like it?
please help,

By: wilde

wilde — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:51:34 +0000

Seems like the more you look the more you see out there. We’re finding out that caterpillars are quite variable – and they’re always hungry!

Thanks for stopping by, Becca!

By: Becca Blazek

Becca Blazek — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:56:29 +0000

Jane and John- you are awesome! (and you too wilde)
I found the brown caterpillar on my pear and couldn’t find him in Wagner’s guide until J&J gave the page #. (The caterpillar on my tree was a light orange brown with almost a touch of green, but everything else about him was the same.) You were on the first page of the google image search for “caterpillar identification brown”. Thank you for the lovely picture and the ID!

By: wilde

wilde — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:24:59 +0000

Hi Jane and John,

Thanks for the identification! Seems like that’s another field guide I should add to my collection.

Stop by again!

By: Jane and John

Jane and John — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:43:50 +0000

the brown caterpillar looks to be the Clear Dagger Moth, Acronicta clarescens. See Wagner page 337