Inchworm

"Inchworm" by Debbie Oppermann. When I first saw this Inchworm it was standing straight up on a leaf and I assumed it was a twig until it moved. After checking I discovered that some Geometrid moth caterpillars disguise themselves as twigs when threatened. It had apparently inched it's way slowly around the edges of some of the leaves of my Trumpet plant as some of them had been eaten.The caterpillars have just two or three pairs of prolegs near their hind ends, instead of the five pairs found in most butterfly or moth larvae. With no legs in the middle section of its body, a Geometer moth caterpillar moves in a looping fashion. It anchors itself with the rear prolegs, extends its body forward, and then pulls its hind end up to meet its front end. Thanks to this method of locomotion, these caterpillars go by various nicknames, including inchworms, spanworms, loopers, and measuring worms.