A photographer reveals the astonishing ways these masters of metamorphosis can fool their predators and us.
Photographer Sam Jaffe captures the delight and deceit of his subjects, such as this cecropia caterpillar. Despite its fierce appearance, the breakfast-sausage-size creature is harmless.must outwit, outplay, outlast. Sam Jaffe’s images of the tubular creatures show just how: through mimicry, defensive adaptations, and partnerships with plants. The naturalist-photographer has been enamored with thesince age four. “I used to bring them into my parents’ house,” he says.
Pug caterpillars come in a rainbow of hues, depending on their host plant. These raised on blue vervain aren’t a perfect match but can fool from afar. Blackberry looper caterpillars pretend to be simple twigs or other plant parts. Jaffe notes that as adult moths, they are “absolutely beautiful little green things.”
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