Geometer Worms (Geometridae)

Some families of moths are not named after their imagines (=the adult insects), but after their caterpillars. Moths and butterflies go through the full circle of insectlife: egg, caterpillar, pupa and imago. Eggs and pupae are not very exciting to look at and are therefore not really used to name the animals. Caterpillars and imagos move about and have thus always interested mankind. Some moths are named after their caterpillars, especially because these are even more interesting than the adults. This certainly applies to the Geometer Worms: they can erect themselves to look just like a twig. And when they move they bring the back of the body towards the front, forming a kind of curl. Then they lift the front up to the position that they form one straight line. There are plenty of them in almost all gardens, but many are small and very hard to detect. In this family of moths we find a few species that fly in late fall and, providing it doesn't get too cold, even in winter.