Green Caterpillar (PP2W)

This is my last "leftover" from my nature series. This green caterpillar drove me crazy trying to identify it because it resembles a few others. I spent many days researching and I finally thought I nailed it, but that was not the case. I thought for sure that it had to be the Green Cloverworm Caterpillar until I read that they are only found in the mid-west, and I live on the east coast. I read that the green cloverworm caterpillar is often mistaken for the Looper.

I researched the looper and the first sentence I read was that the Looper is the caterpillar for the Geometer Moth. I was excited and said that it had to be a Looper because I had a gray Geometer moth on my porch and posted it in my nature series. I searched for a photo of the Looper and it didn't look anything like my green caterpillar.

While researching the Looper, I read that Loopers are often mistaken for the Inchworm. So, I researched the inchworm and it was a close match. I read that the easiest way to identify an inchworm is by watching the way it moves. This green caterpillar didn't move at all in my presence so I wasn't able to identify it that way.

The next clue was that it could possibly be a green Slug and not a caterpillar at all. While researching the green slug I read that the green Rose Slug was a great match. "Yes, that has to be it!" I yelled. It sure did match my photo and I did find this on my porch approximately a foot away from my miniature rose bush. I got all of the information that I could gather on the Rose Slug and found that the Rose Slug isn't even a slug...it is a worm! The Rose Slug is the larvae for the Sawfly, it looks more like a caterpillar, and it eats the leaves of roses! That is it...I have a green Rose Slug!

Two days ago something told me to look at more photos on the internet of the green Rose Slug and some looked like they were a yellowish- green color. You have got to be kidding me! Mine doesn't have any yellow in it! Back to my research where I was led to the Fall Cankerworm Caterpillar. Guess what? I read that the Fall Cankerworm Caterpillar is a member of the Inchworm family and the larvae for Geometer Moths! What? I am right back to where I started? Then something told me to look at the legs of the Fall Cankerworm Caterpillar and I compared it to the legs of my green caterpillar. At this point I wasn't sure if I had a slug, a worm or even a caterpillar! The Fall Cankerworm Caterpillar had 3 pairs of legs in the back end and mine had 5 pairs.

At that point I decided to research the anatomy of a caterpillar and I am certain of one thing; I do indeed have a CATERPILLAR...a green, hairless CATERPILLAR! A typical caterpillar has 5 pairs of legs in the back end and 3 pairs of "True Legs" in the front end. A perfect match. And that is as far as I am going with this one before it drives me completely insane. At least I was able to get a photo of this caterpillar's face and you know how happy that makes me. Yay!

Information Source: missouribotanicalgarden.org, soybeanresearchinfo.com, insectidentification.org, welcomewildlife.com, purdue.edu, cropwatch.unl.edu

Image Source: 100% own work.