I found this little guy crawling across a waterfall observation deck in Colorado Bend State Park. Native to America, the Forest Tent Caterpillar feeds on trees so it was no surprise to find this one on wood. They are identifiable by their dark colored two-inch long bodies with light blue stripes on either side of them and white footprint-shaped spots along its back. The caterpillars, or larvae, appear once a year, usually in April. After about five to six weeks as larvae, they spin solitary cocoons and three weeks later emerge as a moth. The moth stage is the shortest lasting only five days, but in those five days they mate and lay eggs so that the Forest Tent Caterpillar can emerge again in April.