This scary looking mini beast is a vapourer moth caterpillar. We found it on our butterfly bush and took a few pictures. The male moth of these caterpillars actually comes out during the day to feed, the females are flightless and look like hairy woodlice.
The vapourer caterpillar can be found on most trees and bushes and when very small can spin silk that is picked up by wind currents to transport them to other plant life, just like spiders.
Picture of Vapourer Moth Caterpillar.
Photographer: Marie snapped this photograph
63 responses to Vapourer Moth Caterpillar Photograph
Found a Vapourer Moth Caterpillar on our rose bushes today 18th July 2008 in Winsford Cheshire. Hope this is of interest.
Regards Tony Williams
PS. It took me a while to find a site that gave me a picture to confirm the species.
I found a baby caterpillar today, in my mother’s garden in the South East of Notts. I thought it was amazingly cute so I saved it from the birds and put it in a ventalated jar with some various leaves I read it liked. I used to collect and look after Tiger Moth caterpillars when I was 7, 8 and 9 when we lived in the city…. YAY!
I found some very small caterpillars on my dwarf apple tree. Now that the caterpillars are growing larger I have been able to identify them as Vapour Moth caterpillers,and as they were doing a lot of damage to the young apple I have transfered them to a evergreen shrub.
Vapour moth. We have found one on our roses today. Eggs have been laid on the underside of the leaf.11.6.2009, first time seen.
found several on my rose bush the other day. They are currently devouring it. June 09.
cambridgeshire.
I was going to save it but I have had to let nature take its course too hard to look after.
We had one of these fascinating caterpillars in our front garden last week in Harold Wood.
11 June 2009
Found one of these caterpillers on a small tree in my garden yesterday. First time I’ve seen one
i found a vapourers Moth Caterpillar to day on my mint plant in kitchen window was verry fascinating to see was first time i have see it southamton
Found one of these in my garden today, first one ever in my experience here in Bristol
I found one of these interesting little chaps on my climbing roses today. (Isle of Wight). I have never seen one before and it has taken me sometime to identify it. I am now going to return it to the roses and hope that it will not do too much damage!
devours alephant ear leaves. bromley kent
july 2009
I have about 20+ eating their way through an azalea. I have never seen this caterpillar before, will be good for my kids to see develop.
We found a female Vapourer Moth Caterpillar on a Buddleia bush today, here in Newcastle upon Tyne. Does anyone know if this is unusually far north ?
Found one here in Bath (city of) on my wheelie bin… never seen one before. Put it on a rose bush and it started eating straight away!
This photo’ has let us identify the Caterpillar that has teken recidence on a Strawberry plant. This is also the first time I have ever seen such a beasty.
I had one of these on the wooden outside frame of my door for about three hours earlier. Was fascinated by it as I had never seen a catterpillar like it before. Has taken me all evening to identify it.
… I have about 20 of these munching their way through my flowering currant – have never seen them before, so thanks for helping me identify them! (I live about 9miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne)
I found one today in a lavender plant, rhyl north Wales
Strangley enough, i found a caterpillar on my living room cealing. It fell of the cealing, onto the floor. Thought it was very strange but funny looking. After looking this up and finding this picture we soon knew what it was.
Thankyou, my doughter thought it may be poisones, she is now allot calmer.
We had one of these on our geranium plant for two weeks.But now it has spun itself an amazing web on the kitchen window and seems to have turned into a cocoon. Well i hope it has and not just died.
Just seen one in my front Garden, Darlaston (W Mids)Never seen one before, seems to be on its own but in healthy condition.
Found one today on bedroom wall by open window!
Will release him on something I don’t mind him eating. Put him on a piece of paper and he hasn’t moved for the past twenty minutes whilst I identified him on the web.
Hi So glad we ain’t the only ones running around trying to identify this beautiful caterpillar. It’s fab & currently living on our Buddleia. Found Widnes 8th August. Does anyone know whether they are a symptom of global warming as so many of us have never seen them before?
Have been caterpillar watching for about 10 days now. It lives on a small apple tree and walks around quite a lot from end to end of the branches! Apparently always looking for a better leaf ! Birds will not attack it because of it’s bristles. Have watched it change its skin – it is now about one and a half inches long when fully distended. “Vapourer” Old English name for a ‘braggart’ or ‘show off’ because of the male’s lively flight down the hedgerows. As female is flightless she has to attract males by scent – or ‘vapours’ but this is not the reason for the name ! Quite a conversation piece where I live in a small Mews and all come and see it and chat about it. Will keep you posted !
Vapourer Moth Caterpillar Photograph
Just found one on a bay hedge in my garden in Whitley Bay. I’ve never seen one before either.
From – Readers Digest Field Guide..Butterflies and other Insects 1984. Page 167. ‘Vapourer’ in 1782 meant a braggart, or loud mouthed talker. Perhaps from frantic fluttering flight. As female is flightless it attracts male by giving of a chemical signal – see ‘pheremones’ – which could loosely be called ‘Vapours’. A strange coincidence. I have been studying a caterpillar for over two weeks on an apple tree here. It has shed it’s skin at least once and is now about one and a half inches long when extended. It’s hairs can irritate and birds will not attack it.
Vapourer Moth Caterpillar Photograph
Yes I have found this little “pest” eating it’s way through whats left of my Black Current bushes Having a lovely time they are. `i say `they as so far I have collected more than enough of them stripping the leafs off! I live near Swaffham in Norfolk You can all have some of mine if you want them free of charge. Max
Found lots on our Reeds in our Pond at work – they have made light work of them – lost count after 10.
We’ve found one just crawling across the patio in Farnham, Surrey. It is so strange looking! Not sure what they eat but will put a few leaves in with it and see if it has a preference!
I found this today, 23rd of August 2009 at 3:15pm on my rose bush in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. He is very lively.We found it very interesting looking for him on the web, we didn’t realise how many different tyes of caterpillars there are. My grandson is going to look after him, naming him spike.
I found one of these in my bedroom of all places! I’m guessing it came in off the wisteria. Like a lot of comments above it took me a while to identify. We have decided to keep him so the little ones can see the developement and within a day he has cocooned … not sure how long he will stay like this and really struggling to find any info!
Just found 2 of these caterpillars on my strawberry plants, just eating leaves at moment, will they eat the fruits that are now forming for a second time? Took me ages to identify, have never seen them before here in Suffolk
Happened to glance at the cheerful sunflower adorning my kitchen windowsill this evening & thought “What’s that hairy thing climbing all over it?” Happy to say the Vapourer Moth caterpillar Squatter is now residing very happily in a ventilated jar full of sunflower leaves, talk about living in a hotel, he’s even got his own room service!!!
Just found one of these amazing looking creatures on my kitchen window ledge. Thought it was some freak of nature when i first saw it. Truly amazing.
found a Caterpillar today crawling along my garden chair (near Great Yarmouth Norfolk) had to do a lot of searching to find out it was a Vapourer
I found one of these on our strawberrys a couple of weeks ago and doesn’t seem to be doing too much damage compared to the cabbage whites. Came across this site looking for a picture of elephant hawk moth caterpillar which is huge. Farnham Surrey
Sept 27th September. Stevenage, Herts.
Found one of these munching its way (very successfully I might add) through a ground cover potentilla . Never seen one before , tried to take some pics but were too blurred.
june 6th 2010, blandford, dorset
found one of these nibbling away at my climbing rose
first one I’ve ever seen! beautiful!
Found two of these on our roses. We put them in a ventilated container for my son to show them in school but they cocooned themselves within 24 hours. Anyone know how long they will stay like this?
I found these last year on my apple trees. I was, as most of you are, really keen on them and let them just get on with it thinking it is only fair to share.
Well, they munched their way through both trees, nearly killing them off!! So this year it is WAR! I can’t bring myself to kill them (being a veggie and nature lover but to be honest, I am not far off at this point) so put them in the council compost bin.
They are on both apple trees and I have found them on my hollyhocks as well now
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I spent some time researching them (quite some time) and found that the flightless female stays on the tree but is really well camouflaged so you cant find it and so are basically b*ggered!
So, if you see one – GET RID OF IT FAST!!!Before they eat your whole garden!
Vapourer Moth Caterpillar Photograph
Found one of these chaps in my garden eating my strawberry plant leaves yesterday 26 July 2010. Not seen one before. We live near Nottingham. After reading Miriam’s message perhaps I should take him off somewhere so he and his offspring do not munch on the rest of my plants??
I live in Stockport, Cheshire. Found one of these caterpillars on a young cistus plant.It has taken about 2 days to eat one leaf!
Found lots of these caterpillars on my Nans raspberries…..We have kept some in a ventilated fish bowl to study.
I have found two on my geranium plants today 12 July 2009. I have left them where they are for the time being – Sevenoaks, Kent
Found one on the sweet peas today 15th July 2010.
Never seen one before not sure if they are normally found this far north (Stirling) as most of the replies to this are only as far North as Newcastle area.
Peggy, what a coincidence. found one this morning 17th July on my sweet peas here in Livingston, never seen one before. Needless to say it no longer resides in the sweet peas but has been relegated to a tree in my front garden.
Found one of these brilliant beasties yesterday on a rose bush in Guildford Surrey.
First time I’ve seen one of these so was determined to identify it!
21/7/10
Walking by the River Wear in Durham City. Saw loads of these little fellas crawling on the metal railings. Really beautiful with their curious tufts on their backs. The picture doesn’t really do it justice as ours had black and red spots down each side.
We found one yesterday in Northampton!
It fell out of a packet of paper where my partner works :*( He brought it home for me to identify so we’ll make sure he or she is safe.
Found a vapourer moth caterpillar on my daughters bike, we have kept it in a plastic bug cage for the girls to watch and study. I am from Vancouver Island Canada and I have never seen one of these species before!
Sandra
Found one on my baby apple tree today. Looked up web as hadn’t seen one before. Keeping it in tub for a while and hear they like strawberry leaves too. My apple tree is next to my strawberry patch, so will have to check for more. Stay near East Kilbride.
One fell onto me from a small apple tree this morning (in West Midlands)- I’ve never seen one before but in view of previous comments I’ll go back and see if there are more. The apple tree has been struggling for several years! Connie.
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