Many Maricopa County residents notice a curious side effect of the monsoons: a significant increase in the number of caterpillars that migrate through their neighborhoods. Caterpillars covering the playground in my child’s preschool today. It’s near a mountain reserve … does anyone know this magic ?! pic.twitter.com/vJVRYkmzb7 – Lauren Gilger (@laurengilger) Aug 26, 2021 They are roughly half an inch to an inch long and can be green, yellow, and red – and people see them churning out in bulk for the collection managers University of Arizona Insect Collection, and he noted that those numbers could pose some risk, especially for motorists. And conditions could be slippery. It could get so bad sometimes, “Hall said. Hall explained that this is a result of the incredible amount of rain we received during this monsoon season – more rain means more plants and more plants means more food for insects and larvae. → Q&AZ: Where do all the green caterpillars come from? But after they stuff themselves, those caterpillars don’t turn into butterflies. ”Once it has enough to eat, that particular caterpillar will wander around looking for a place to dig in the ground, and then pupate it itself and then emerges as a white-lined sphinx moth, “Hall told the area’s farms. But what impact will this caterpillar pocalypse have on desert fauna? “These caterpillars – they are definitely a source of food for other animals, and I’ve heard that even hawks like to eat these caterpillars. And here in the Southwest, too, if I remember correctly, the Native Americans also ate these caterpillars as a source of food. ”More stories from KJZZ
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