Who Studies Lepidopterology?

[Lawdwaz]

At my work we have a mowed alfalfa field next door.  I mean just 10’ away….

In the fall we started to see an unreal amount of these little caterpillars coming across the blacktop driveway headed for our building.   You couldn’t hardly walk to the back of the building without stepping on them.  So as it got colder they seemed to disappear then a couple weeks ago the started coming out of the snow banks, heading for the building again!  Some days in the high teens you’d see them.  
 

I don’t know what they are but snapped a couple pics last week and today.  
 
They have no problem crawling around in the sow our well below freezing temperatures.  Cool little bugs.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Lawdwaz

[Lawdwaz]

And, they are very small.  Maybe the biggest is 1.25”

[GreeneHunter]

Bueller , Bueller ?  LOL

Edited February 3, 2022 by GreeneHunter

[Lawdwaz]

5 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

And, they are very small.  Maybe the biggest is 1.25”

I googled “wooly bears” and I don’t think that’s them.  

[CarlosB]

1 hour ago, Lawdwaz said:

I googled “wooly bears” and I don’t think that’s them.  

Maybe yellow bear caterpillar?

[SpacemanSpiff]

Looks like a wooly of some sort. 

[bugsNbows]

Interesting that they would be appearing now… in February. I do not know exactly what it is… there are literally thousands of species. You could grab up a few and send them over to Cornell. 
 

 

[Lawdwaz]

10 hours ago, CarlosB said:

Maybe yellow bear caterpillar?

This could be it.   
 

Not surprisingly I don’t see any today in the accumulating snow.   

[fasteddie]

Don't pick them up unless you are wearing gloves . Some of these , more so the yellow ones , can cause skin irritation as well as other problems . 

[grampy]

Sorry that I can't add anything here. My knowledge on this topic is very limited.

I just clicked to see what Lepidopterology was????    

[bugsNbows]

My advanced training was in Entomology but… I concentrated in termite taxonomy, turf and ornamental insects and household critters. 
 

Note… although there are several species of “stinging” caterpillars, these do not appear to have urticating spines. Handling may invoke dermatitis in some individuals. 

[Pygmy]

14 hours ago, Lawdwaz said:

At my work we have a mowed alfalfa field next door.  I mean just 10’ away….

In the fall we started to see an unreal amount of these little caterpillars coming across the blacktop driveway headed for our building.   You couldn’t hardly walk to the back of the building without stepping on them.  So as it got colder they seemed to disappear then a couple weeks ago the started coming out of the snow banks, heading for the building again!  Some days in the high teens you’d see them.  
 

I don’t know what they are but snapped a couple pics last week and today.  
 
They have no problem crawling around in the sow our well below freezing temperatures.  Cool little bugs.

 

 

[Pygmy]

Study Lepidopterology  ???   I can't even freakin' SAY it      !!!...

[Nomad]

23 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

Study Lepidopterology  ???   I can't even freakin' SAY it      !!!...

I thought this was going to be about Leprechauns what with St . Patty’s day coming up and all .

[Lawdwaz]

Just saw another, crawling very slowly on the new snow.  

[The_Real_TCIII]

37 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

Just saw another, crawling very slowly on the new snow.  

Rub it on your face for good luck

[luberhill]

53 minutes ago, Nomad said:

I thought this was going to be about Leprechauns what with St . Patty’s day coming up and all .

That’s what I thought too … but when my wife asked me to take her to the movie “Into the Woods”

I thought it was about deer hunting

[Fletch]

Never heard the word nor can pronounce it lol. I did my obligatory searches and while I found one NY pillar that liked snow it looked nothing like this one. So after reading this you are no smarter than before.

[ncountry]

Well at least I'm not alone in looking up this new word to me.lol. I'm  no help with the  identity either.

Lepidopterology ..wtf?

[bugsNbows]

ology = the study of

Lepidoptera = moths and butterflies

[Pygmy]

7 hours ago, Nomad said:

I thought this was going to be about Leprechauns what with St . Patty’s day coming up and all .

You remember my birthday.....I'm touched, Larry...Hehehe...

[Lawdwaz]

6 hours ago, ncountry said:

Well at least I'm not alone in looking up this new word to me.lol. I'm  no help with the  identity either.

Lepidopterology ..wtf?

Trust me, I never heard of it till google dropped it on me. 

[Nomad]

59 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

You remember my birthday.....I'm touched, Larry...Hehehe...

Well it’s seven days before mine .

[Pygmy]

10 minutes ago, Nomad said:

Well it’s seven days before mine .

Yeah, and  14 years.....Hehehe.....