Sometimes twigs are not twigs

[nomihoudai]

I am currently breeding a moth species and need large amounts of hazel leaves. Very often I bring in smaller insects that I do not see when collecting the leaves. One of these insects is this "twig" that is something completely different. Numerous Geometridae caterpillars are masters at disguise and may fool your eye. I hope some people will enjoy the pictures, they are not as brilliant as those from ecooper. Gear is a Nikon D5000 with 55-200mm Nikkor and 56mm no-name extension rings.




In comparison with my pinky, to give a hint how tiny it is.

[nomad]

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. Photography really can be an absorbing and very gratifying hobby. Greatly adds to your study and collection of insects. That Geometridae caterpillar certainly does look like a twig, I have seen these a number of times before when I was beating trees with a upturned umbrella, later using a beating tray to obtain caterpillars for breeding purposes. Fascinating camouflage.