Quick and Easy Identification Guide to Striped Caterpillars

Striped caterpillars are among the most beautiful caterpillars found in your yard, and their striking patterns and bright colors make them easy to spot too.

Unfortunately, some of them can be rather destructive and considered serious pests if left alone.

To help you figure out whether a caterpillar is friend or foe, here's a simple visual guide to 17 common types of striped caterpillars you might encounter in the garden.

Zebra caterpillar

01.

You can probably guess by its name that this caterpillar can be identified by its zebra-like black-and-white pattern along its body.

White-lined sphinx moth caterpillar

02.

The white-lined sphinx moth caterpillar is a type of hornworm with a characteristic yellow or orange “horn” at the rear.

Striped garden caterpillar

03.

These caterpillars have tan faces and slender brown bodies with a pair of longitudinal yellow stripes edged in black.

Rosy maple caterpillar (green-striped mapleworm)

04.

The rosy maple caterpillar (also called the green-striped mapleworm) has a bright green body overlaid with white stripes that extend from head to rear.

Queen caterpillar

05.

Whereas monarch caterpillars have two pairs of tentacles, queen caterpillars have three pairs: two longer tentacles toward the front, and a shorter pair near the rear.

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