Inch Worm

 

Inch worm

https://www.spirit-animals.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Inchworm-1024x416.jpg.webp

Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Geometroidea

Bizz

One day just as I was sitting at a round table in the library thinking about peas, I thought to myself is there a pea song……... Scrolling through YouTube I did find one but it was a rhyme 😉. Just a minute this post is about inch worm then why Peas???????? So here is the answer to your why: long time ago just as I was peeling peas from the pea pods a strange little thing fell off the peas onto the table, I didn’t pay much attentions to it, but as it moved that caught my eye and my mind also, holding it onto my finger I asked myself. What is this tiny little worm called? What do they feed on and are these always this small and do they grow up to be insects????

 

         Illustration of Inch worm

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.aa13f827e76cc2a8c65ba791c6b0ff67?rik=rA%2fWFcub1GTqcw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fclipart-library.com%2fimg%2f833139.gif&ehk=p46sUhOHEk%2fhKK33xM%2frbmbICLPMTTtfVPNlPxKsV5U%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0

Buzz

Inch worms are caterpillars which develop into a geometer moth. This moth is indigenous to the North America. The larvae of this moths are the inch worms also termed as span worms and measuring worms due to its distinct size which measures to be an inch in length. The inch worms vary in colour from brown to green and black, this worms due to it’s tend to camouflage on the plants they feed on. When disturbed the inch worms stand erect and motionless to protect themselves. Inch worms commonly feed on leaves, flower buds and fruits.

Life cycle

 The female geometer moth awaits the male moth in the trees to undergo fertilization and lays its eggs in the branches of the trees. This eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the available leaves. After a duration of 2 to 4 weeks from the time this caterpillars hatched from their eggs, the inch worm prepare themselves to undergo metamorphosis to develop into an adult inch worm and finally into a geometer moth. The lifespan of an inch worm/ geometer moth is about a year.

Geometer moth

http://t2.gstatic.com/licensed-image?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbhx8Zbjto-n1Q8EjQEfLkIzEJ9lasM31xZnoNHXmtL7KcBcje_uh5RNY-nkiiNbkgopYaLt5L5842PFc

Reference

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometer_moth

• https://www.britannica.com/animal/geometrid-moth

• https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/ecology/animals/invertebrates/inchworm#:~:text=Inchworms%20are%20classified%20in%20the,%2C%20order%20Lepidoptera%2C%20family%20Geometridae.

• https://animals.mom.com/lifespan-inchworm-9145.html