2024 October 19 evening

  A week or two ago, Ian Cooper found a tiny (second instar?) noctuid caterpillar and Jeremy Tatum found an equally tiny geometrid caterpillar.  As they gradually grow larger (now mid-grown), writes Jeremy Tatum, I am beginning to guess what they are.  By now, I am fairly sure of both – as labelled below – though we will probably have to wait until the adult moths emerge next year until we are certain.  I have been offering them a variety of foodplants, but have never been sure what they have actually been eating.  Only today did I discover that the noctuid seems to prefer Rumex crispus to other offerings – which bolsters my guess that it is Noctua comes.  The geometrid was found feeding on the flowers of Polygonum aviculare – a most unlikely foodplant for what I nevertheless think the caterpillar is – Neoalcis californiaria.

Lesser Yellow Underwing  Noctua comes  (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

Lesser Yellow Underwing  Noctua comes  (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

Neoalcis californiaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum