Alypia wittfeldii, Wittfeld’s Forester Moth, in Volusia county, Florida; 06 May 2014

Alypia wittfeldii, the Wittfeld’s forester moth, photographed in Volusia county, Florida (06 May 2014). Identification assistance from bugguide.net.

Our second of three caterpillar species spotted on the Daytona State College Deland campus is Alypia wittfeldii, commonly referred to as Wittfeld’s forester moth. Unlike many moths and butterflies in North America (as well as their respective caterpillar forms), this particular species is somewhat limited to the Floridian peninsula and coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Outside of this deep-southeastern range, you’re more likely going to see the Eight-spotted forester, Alypia octomaculata — a different species of the same genus.

I was, of course, pleased as punch to find the Wittfeld forester moth caterpillar you see in these photographs. What an awesome design, right? Note how its head resembles a small beetle. Camouflage is often the name of the game in the land of Arthropoda, and this caterpillar is certainly no exception. A very distinct and awesome moth larva.

This was indeed a cool little visit to the Daytona State campus in Deland, Florida. I worked there and served as full-time faculty from 2004 through 2007. I fondly remember that time. Great students and a fantastic campus. It’s located just east of Deland, tucked in a swath of relatively undeveloped forest just to the west of Interstate 4 (known locally as The Beast). We always had an abundance of arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, and birds on our campus grounds back then.

Though I didn’t spot very many vertebrates (other than a few students and lizards) during this particular visit, the arthropods were truly out in force. As we saw a few posts back, this was one of three caterpillar species I found in close proximity to one another — all clustered in the same foliage. I suspect if I’d spent more time looking around, I would’ve found several more in this one area alone. It was absolutely crawling with life. As life demanded, however, I had to bolt onward to Orland to hit the Apple store to get my MacBook fixed. This was simply a quick —but rich— sojourn.

Thinking back, most of my Deland campus sojourns were short, little jaunts, even when I worked there full-time. I’d often hike around the campus whenever I had a short break. It was my way of decompressing between class sessions or in the midst of a dense reading/commenting/grading jag. It’s a work habit I formed that I haven’t really been able to break —or even wanted to break— even in the depths of the Alaskan winter. I can’t work indoors but for a few hours before itching to get back outside — even if it’s just to sit for a bit or to walk around and look at shrubs and trees. You never know what you’ll find outside; the indoors are more predictable and controlled, it seems. Some of my favorite ideas have come unexpectedly during these walks, too. It seems my brain kicks into a higher gear when I’m solar powered. And I must admit, I love the unexpectedness of the outdoors. On this particular day, I wasn’t even looking for caterpillars. I was looking for Southern black racers. I may not have found the snakes I was looking for, but I sure did find some awesome caterpillars, right? And a few flashback memories, too, but we’ll get to those later…

Next on Dust Tracks: Our third caterpillar from Daytona State in Deland!