Gray-banded Leafroller
Argyrotaenia mariana
May 1, 2013
A new tortricidae for the site! The 1st instar caterpillars of these moths are among those you come across hanging from a leaf on a single strand of silk as they await a breeze to carry them to a - hopefully - suitable new leaf. So much can go wrong with this! A passing dragonfly could snap it up. The silk could break, sending it to the ground amongst the scavenging ants and hunting tiger beetles. Or, it could just miss its target, dooming it to starvation. But enough of them obviously make it for this to be a viable method of dispersal. And it's kind of how the wizard found Oz...
The later instars roll their food/shelter into a tube, hence the name leafroller.
