You might try looking at some sites that have lots of pics of caterpillars, and see if you can find it. There are other sites, but here's one that I use:

Here is a link that might be useful: id site

thanks for the link to a great website-i hadn't seen that one before. unfortunately my particular larvae (there are 2 now) aren't shown there. it's velvety black with a longitudinal yellow stripe down each side (with a black stripe on the lower side of the yellow) and under that is a reddish brown stripe. very pretty i might add.

You should get a picture!! We'd love to see it.

Sounds a lot like the caterpillar that becomes a tiger swallowtail.

Like this?

{{gwi:1289916}}

the photo is similar but.......... here are a couple of my photos of the worm on my brugmansia-one seems about ready to "hang" to pupate. well, i thought i could figure out how to post a photo but i guess not-i even read the instructions but i don't see the "browse" section here.

now i think i have a photo. try to find it in the photo gallery section. perhaps it will even show here?

Here is a link that might be useful:

Oh yeah, have those too! They seem to favor my variegated brugs :(.

Rebecca

Yupyupyup. They're eating my Maya!

I think they're "variegated Brugmansia worms". :-)

Are those not some common caterpillar? They look very familiar to me.

I dunno caterpillars. You tell us! :-)

I believe your caterpillars are actually cutworms. 2005 has been a particularly bad year for them in my area (Kentucky). I hand pick them to get rid of them, or you can spray Bt if they're really out of control. They love brug foliage, and will make your plants look tattered in only a short amount of time. They will eat not only the foliage, but will eat flowerbuds, and chomp off entire leaves by cutting through the leaf stalks. I would get rid of them so you won't have even more of them next year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cutworm Information/pic

Well, if they're cutworms they aren't the same kind I usually get. I deal with cutworms every spring, and mine are a uniform greyish brown. But maybe these are just a different kind. Good thought! Now I'll have to look at lots of cutworm pics. :-)

That looks like a webworm (tent caterpillar) to me, but it does not look hairy like they do.

Don't cutworms cut stems off at the ground? That's what demolished my tomatoes this year. :-(

The cutworm family,Noctuidae,is very large. There may be 600 to 1000 species in Tennessee. Not many have the typical cutworm activity. Because it's feeding on an exotic plant, it seems to me to be a general feeder. It could be in the Acronicta or Cucullia genera. Their cats are a lot showier than the adults. Since there is only 2, I would save them. They should pupate underground and emerge next year.

A-ha, the voice of knowledge!

Thanks for the info. :-)