Redhumped Caterpillar: Aptly Named

How appropriate are many of the common names of insects! Take the immature form (caterpillar) of the moth, Schizura concinna, family Notodontidae.  We first spotted this caterpillar on our Western redbud tree (Cercis occidentalis) in September 2010. It has a red hump. The common name: The...

Redhumped caterpillars on a Western redbud tree in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Redhumped caterpillars on a Western redbud tree in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Skeltonized redbud leaf--damage done by a redhumped caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Skeltonized redbud leaf--damage done by a redhumped caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee nectaring on a Western redbud blooming in April. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee nectaring on a Western redbud blooming in April. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bees and Trees

We have a section of an old apple tree at the Haven that is being used by Valley carpenter bees, Xylocopa varipuncta, as a nest. I've included a picture here; the number and size of the galleries the bees have excavated is quite impressive. While entomologists generally don't regard carpenter bees...

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