The cecropia moth caterpillar is the largest larva found in Iowa
and is commonly seen in late summer throughout the state. Larvae
may be seen feeding on the trees and shrubs where they have
spent the summer, or they may be found "wandering" across lawns,
sidewalks and driveways. The caterpillar is about four inches
long and nearly 3/4 inch in diameter. The body color is light
green with a fluorescent blue tinge. On the top of the body just
behind the head are several pairs of large tubercles that look
like red, orange or yellow balls covered with black spikes.
Along the rest of the length of the body are two rows of yellow
spikes and two rows of light blue spikes. The cecropia
caterpillars feed on a wide variety of trees and shrubs,
including wild cherry, plum, maple, willow, boxelder, apple,
crabapple, lilac, walnut, elm, birch and poplar. During their
life span of approximately 60 days, the caterpillars can devour
a lot of foliage. However, caterpillars usually occur in widely-
scattered, low numbers and sig