An Imperial Moth caterpillar devours a red maple leaf

Everybody remembers The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book by Eric Carle. When the star of that book paid a visit to a tree in my back yard, I was surprised to see how big and hungry she really was. This caterpillar was about 5 or 6 inches long and thicker than a fat hot dog. In the few days she was out there, she stripped many of the leaves off this poor tree. Then she was gone. I don’t know if something bigger got her, she moved on to find more food, or she’d had enough and burrowed into the ground to pupate. When I looked her up online, I learned that she would become an Imperial Moth.

This image was taken with my trusty old Canon EOS 6.3MP Digital Rebel using an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Posted for Photo Friday. The challenge is “Eat!“.