I hope this is not an insult to the caterpillars. (“You talkin’ to me woman?”)
They are named for their yellow necks, Yellow-necked caterpillars(Datana ministra)
They appear every year on the same little oak.
I notice because the leaves disappear due to skeletonization. Which is a fancy way of saying everything is eaten but the veins.
I purposely disturb them just to watch them twitch. They go into defense posture.
The adult moth is called the Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth. Ho Hum!
It looks like a rolled brown leaf with a scalloped end. I have never seen one in person.
The poor moth can’t live down its baby nickname. Kind of like “Stinky” or “Tootie.”
Flower