Caterpillars at KABT Fall meeting.

KABT folks

We had a great time at the KABT Fall meeting at Cowley County College.
Thanks to Michelle, the presenters and others. During the field trip out at Chaplin Nature center a group of us came across large numbers of caterpillars defoliating catalpa saplings. The trees themselves were difficult to identify (since they were defoliated and small saplings) and we weren't sure about the caterpillars. I guessed that they were some sort of horn worm---well guesses sometimes workout. We apparently had found the dark form of the Catalpa sphinx (hormworms). Here's a link that includes images.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/catalpasphinx.htm
or
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg305.html
or
http://entomology.unl.edu/ornamentals/pestprofiles/catsphinx.htm


Ours matches the dark form in the bottom of this image:

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/photo6.htm

or in this image:

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/photo2.htm

BW