FACE TO FACE WITH A HAIRY CATTERPILLAR

I was at Dowse Lagoon in Sandgate and was about to have a rest against a metal pole when i noticed something on it just in time.

It was this incredible hairy caterpillar. Covered in long black and white hairs with bright yellow markings running along its body, it certainly made me think twice about where i was about to lean!

Once i got the macro lens in close, I discovered what really made this caterpillar stand out – its face.

From the front, it looked completely different. The striking yellow centre, surrounded by deep red and black markings, was almost hidden beneath a forest of long hairs. It was a detail I probably would never have noticed without looking through the macro lens.

To capture all that detail, I used focus stacking, taking 30 photographs and combining them using Helicon Focus, which allowed me to capture far more detail than i could have achieved in a single frame.

Photography Details

Camera: OM System OM-1 Mark II
Lens: M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
Flash: Godox V860III-O
Focus stack: 30 images
Stacking software: Helicon Focus
Editing: Adobe Photoshop
Diffuser: Cygnustech

After some research, the caterpillar appears to be Anthela deficiens, an Australian moth species from the family Anthelida. The identification isn’t completely certain, but it’s distinctive markings and extraordinary covering of long hairs are a close match.