Brown caterpillars are a common sight in gardens, on trees, and in nature across North America These worm-like larvae come in a variety of shades from light tan to dark chocolate brown. Some species have striking patterns, spikes, or hairs on their bodies. Identifying the different types of brown caterpillars can be done by looking closely at their distinguishing features
Why Identify Brown Caterpillars?
Being able to identify brown caterpillars is useful for several reasons:
- Monitor pests and beneficial species in your garden
- Avoid handling stinging/irritating caterpillars
- Understand caterpillar and butterfly/moth life cycles
- Appreciate the diversity of brown caterpillars in nature
- Distinguish which species damage crops and trees
Are Brown Caterpillars Dangerous?
Most brown caterpillars are not dangerous or venomous. However, some species have stinging hairs or spines that can cause skin irritation, rashes, and pain if handled. Examples of stinging brown caterpillars include the brown-tail moth and the southern flannel moth “puss” caterpillars.
It’s best to avoid touching any caterpillars unless you can positively identify them as harmless Teach children not to touch fuzzy or spiky caterpillars they find
What Do Brown Caterpillars Eat?
Caterpillars feed on plant leaves, trees, shrubs, and sometimes roots. Most stick to one or a few “host” plants. Pest species can damage crops, vegetables, and trees when present in large numbers.
Identifying brown caterpillars can help you find pest culprits defoliating your plants. Or spot species munching on weeds in your garden.
Features Used to Identify Brown Caterpillars
Here are the main features to note when identifying brown caterpillars
- Color – Shade of brown, patterns, stripes, other colors
- Body Shape – Plump, thin, tapering, hump/no hump
- Markings – Spots, dots, eyespots, patches
- Head – Color, rounded/flattened, small/large
- Legs – True legs and prolegs (fleshy false legs)
- Extras – Tufts, hairs, spines, horns, filaments
Common Types of Brown Caterpillars in North America
Here are some of the most frequently encountered brown caterpillars across the United States and Canada:
1. Woolly Bear Caterpillar
The iconic woolly bear caterpillar has a thick coating of stiff reddish-brown and black hairs. They have a reputation for forecasting the coming winter severity based on the width of the rusty brown band, but this has no scientific merit. Woolly bears feed on herbaceous plants and overwinter as larvae.
2. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
In early instars this caterpillar is velvety brown with two black eyespots. Later it turns green. The brown phase feeds on leaves of cherry, tulip, cottonwood and other trees. The green form blends in well on leafy food plants.
3. Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar
This pale yellow caterpillar has four dense tufts of hairs on its back – two bright white and two dark brown/black. Between the tufts are saddle-like black bands. It’s frequently found on fruit trees and is covered in irritating hairs.
4. Brown-Tail Moth Caterpillar
A serious pest species with rows of reddish-brown hairs that can cause dermatitis. It has a dark brown body with white lines along the sides and two red dots on the back. These form large bristly communal nests in trees.
5. Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar
A plump brown caterpillar with five pairs of elliptical white markings along its sides. The head has black freckles and there’s a long curved spine on the tail end. It eats leaves of Virginia creeper, grapes and other vines.
6. Tobacco Hornworm
This large green caterpillar has seven white diagonal slashes on its sides. As it stops feeding before pupating, it changes to a reddish brown color with the white markings still visible. A native pest of tobacco, tomato and potato plants.
7. Fall Webworm
This pale brown caterpillar creates large messy webbed tents in the branches of trees. The hairs are fine and somewhat sparse. It feeds on over 100 tree species before pupating within the web nest.
8. Ruby-Crowned Fruitworm
A bright green caterpillar with fine white dots and short sparse hairs. It turns a brownish color before pupating. This native pest damages corn and other cereals as well as strawberries, cranberries and various orchard fruits.
9. Saddleback Caterpillar
This small brown grub has a green “saddle” across the middle and a bulging dark brown head. The numerous spines contain a potent toxin capable of causing severe pain. Most common on trees like cherry, elm, oak, sycamore, walnut.
10. Snowberry Clearwing Moth
In the early instars the caterpillar has brown and cream lengthwise stripes. In later stages it is overall mottled brown with ridges along its back. Feeds on leaves of snowberry, honeysuckle and other shrubs. Has just one generation per year.
Tips for Dealing With Problem Brown Caterpillars
If you discover high numbers of a detrimental brown caterpillar species in your garden or orchard, here are some tips for managing them:
- Remove and destroy egg masses and webbed nests to prevent future generations
- Knock groups into containers of soapy water
- Apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticide to leaves
- Encourage natural predators like birds, wasps, flies by avoiding pesticides
- Use pheromone traps to capture and reduce male moths
- Protect young trees/plants with netting or collars
Being able to identify brown caterpillars is the first step in controlling outbreaks and limiting damage. Learn their distinguishing features and habits to monitor populations and enjoy observing nature’s diversity in your own backyard.
A Dark Brand Bush Brown caterpillar moulting to its pupal form
FAQ
What are the little brown caterpillars in my house?
If it’s a brown house moth, you’ve just met one of the most common fabric pests in homes. They have an appetite for a wide variety of items in your home, from cereals and dried fruit in your cabinets to furniture fabric, book bindings, and wine bottle corks. The caterpillars do all the chewing and eating.
What does it mean when caterpillars are mostly brown?
According to weather folklore, the more black on a Woolly Bear Caterpillar, it means a longer, colder and possibly snowier winter. If there’s more brown in the middle, that’s a sign of a mild winter. What do you all think? Colder – Milder?
What are the brown worms that look like caterpillars?
Cutworm is a generic name for the caterpillar stage of multiple species of moths. Cutworms get their name because they cut down young plants as they feed on stems. Seedlings are most susceptible to cutworm feeding. Physical removal is effective in many cases.
What does a brown caterpillar turn into?
All caterpillars, brown or otherwise, are the larval stage of the class of insects called Lepidoptera, commonly known as butterflies and moths. They spend their days eating and storing energy for the adult butterfly or moth that they will become.
What are the different types of brown caterpillars?
The Eastern Tent Caterpillar is one of the most recognizable types of brown caterpillar. It is known for its distinctive tent-like webs that it creates in the branches of trees. These brown caterpillars are commonly found in the eastern parts of the United States and Canada and can be identified by their brown and black striped bodies.
Are brown caterpillars poisonous?
Brown caterpillars across the United States might have urticating hairs that cause skin rashes. Only a handful of caterpillars in North America are poisonous. Most aren’t brown. Hickory tussock caterpillars are known to be venomous, but these caterpillars are white. The following types of brown caterpillars are most common across North America. 1.
Are brown caterpillars native to North America?
Most types of brown caterpillars are native to North America. These caterpillars keep changing their colors due to different growth stages. Others remain brown-red or brown-gray throughout their growth phases. If you live on the Eastern side of the United States, identifying the exact name of a brown caterpillar can be a daunting experience.
What is the most common black and brown caterpillar?
The furry banded woolly bear is the most common black and brown caterpillar. This hairy crawling insect is covered in black hairy tufts with a bronze-brown band in the middle. Other types of brown and black caterpillars can have smooth bodies, spiny clumps, mottled patterns, or stinging setae (hairs).
What is the name of this brown caterpillar?
The name for this brown-colored caterpillar is the elephant hawkmoth caterpillar. The moth larvae are identified by their gray-brown coloring and black spots along the side of its body. The brown caterpillar has an oval head with eye-spots on it.
What does a brown-tail caterpillar look like?
Brown-tail caterpillars have a dark brown body with white markings and two prominent red spots in the middle of their backs. The slender brown insects are covered in tufts of dark yellow or orange hairs.