The Very Mellow Caterpillar - a true life detective story

Last week I started noticing some little brown flecks on a few of the Blue Widow buds. On closer inspection they almost seemed like miniature piles of deer poop, tiny little brown pellets that were clearly defecated plant matter. Wherever I found these little turdlets, the flower was damaged and in some cases bud rot was setting in.

What tiny little creature was eating my plants and pooping all over them? The poop pellets were too small to be a mouse or shrew, not that I have ever heard of a mouse or shrew eating marijuana. I figured this was insect damage of some kind, and this morning I launched a full fledged investigation.

Operation Pop the Pooper

I wanted to assess how widespread the infestation was, and figure out what the infestation was. Did I need to harvest the remaining colas of Blue Widow immediately? Luckily the damage was not widespread. A few scattered areas with some trails of poop and damage across my beautiful buds. But what was causing it? Still no clue. I would have to dig deeper.

I harvested a nug that had a large concentration of the poop and started opening it up, looking into every fold and crevasse, every nook and cranny. And then I found it! A very mellow caterpillar that looked exactly like my bud, the exact same shade of green, with hairs sticking off its body that looked exactly like capitate-stalked resin glands. It was curled up peacefully and didn't want to come out, thank you very much.

No wonder I hadn't spotted the culprit before!

close up from same photo

I poked at the mellow dude until it finally uncurled and ventured out of weed heaven.

I am pretty sure I harshed this caterpillar's mellow, particularly when I smooshed it to death.

Now that I knew what I was looking for, I went back and got all up inside the nugs where I had previously found caterpillar poop. By the way, did you know that caterpillar poop is called "frass"? Well now you do :)

I only found a couple more culprits, and they all met the same sad fate as the first mellow caterpillar. The penalty for poaching in his majesty's pot garden is death, plain and simple.

But dude, seriously, look at how closely the caterpillars resemble the weed!

It is generally advised not to handle caterpillars excessively as many caterpillars have "stinging" poisonous bristles and hairs. Often caterpillars feed on plants that give them toxic alkaloids which they store (most famously in the case of monarch butterflies, with the bold coloration of the adult butterflies advertising the caterpillars' toxic diet of milkweed). Maybe these caterpillars concentrate cannibinoids and inject them in blood-soluble form with their stinging hairs?

One can always dream.

Much love - Carl

post cover image is original art by moi, digital manipulation on top of mellow caterpillar photo