Hi All, No dates or counts, but I thought I should get some of my recent findings out there.  These caterpillars have all been seen within the last week and a half, most in the last few days.  If anybody would like to try for any of these feel free to write for specific directions.  I hope this list proves that the season is far, far, from over! Also... if anyone has info on where to find Spiny Oak-Slugs, Saddleback Caterpillars, Datanas of any species, Four-horned (Elm) Sphinx, Hermit Sphinx, Finned Prominent, and any other striking species that I have yet to photograph I would love to hear from you. ••••• I. SWALLOWTAILS: In the last few weeks I have been finding all three Massachusetts swallowtail caterpillars in greater abundance than at any other point this year. - Tiger Swallowtail cats have mostly been middle instars and have turned up on cherry and poplar in the Blue Hills, Broad Meadow Brook, and many points around Wachusett.  Always rather obvious sitting on their silk hammocks, though I'm sure I pass many by. - Spicebush Swallowtail cats are everywhere and in every instar - from egg laying at Worlds End in Quincy, to a prepupal wandering caterpillar in the Blue Hills - although fourth instar cats seem most numerous. Lately I have seen spicebush cats in Fowl Meadow, all across the Blue Hills, Worlds End, Broad Meadow Brook, various spots in the Wachusett area, Montezuma Plains, Millis, Medway, and pretty much every other spot I have looked for them.  Go see these caterpillars! - Finally I am finding some Black Swallowtail cats!  Linda almost ran into a large fifth instar on lace at Wachussett Meadows and I found countless eggs and a few first instars on carrots at Tangerini's farm in Millis.  Last year Tangerini's had a wealth of Black Swallowtails on their parsley and carrots as late as October. II. OTHER BUTTERFLIES:  Like swallowtails, certain species caterpillars are reaching their peak abundance in this late summer early fall generation. - Red-spotted Purple cats are showing up on Black Cherry and Apple (?) across the state.  They are almost all early instars. - Viceroy cats are everywhere.  There seems to be a mix of a large fourth and fifth instar caterpillars that may fly this fall, and tiny first and second instars that may overwinter. - American Lady cats are growing fast on the slopes and summit of Great Blue Hill.  They have made wonderful beds out of pussy-toe(?) flowers... look for bright white, soft, balloons in their host plants.  Mostly third and fourth instars. - Question Mark - a few fifth instars. - Lycaenids - a focused search for a few hours on the slopes of Great Blue Hill turned up many Gray Hairstreak and Eastern Tailed Blue Caterpillars on Tall Bush Clover.  In the early afternoon there were significant numbers of each species still laying eggs on the clover, especially near the top by the ski lift. - Skippers - I have found Juvenal's, Horace's, Dreamy, and Sleepy Duskywing caterpillars in the Blue Hills and Broad Meadow Brook at various stages.  Silver-spotted Skippers were more abundant a few weeks back, but large caterpillars can still be found if you search locust and ground nut.  Common Sootywing caterpillars seem few and far between but I have found a few by searching amaranth. No grass skipper cats - but I have not searched very hard for them. III. SILK & SPHINX MOTHS:  Still around but most species are beginning to pupate and should become scarcer as the fall progresses. - Promethea cats are still quite abundant on Great Blue Hill, but are now mostly large fifth instar cats.  I have been finding most on black cherry near the summit area, though Linda found some real hulkers on Sassafras near the _base_ of the northern most ski slope. - Polyphemus caterpillar in Millis - one middle instar.  Last year I was finding large Polyphemus very late into the fall. - Carolina Sphinx (Manduca sexta) are still all over the tomatoes. Second and third instars at Wachusett Meadows, fourth and fifth instars at Tangerini's Farm in Millis, an egg in Medfield. - Waved Sphinx (Ceratomia undulosa) fifth instar, HUGE, at Wachusett Meadows. - Pine Sphinx (Lapara sp.) in the Blue Hills... especially the summits around Chickatawbut - Twin-spotted Sphinx (Smerinthus jamaicensis) are showing up in most knee high patches of alder and big toothed poplar.  I've found them recently in Fowl Meadow, Wachusett Meadows, Medfield and Millis, Worlds End, and other spots. - Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecatus) are showing up as middle to late instars on Birch, Oak, and Maple in most spots. - Small-eyed Sphinx (Paonias myops) is no longer common, but I have recently found a few large fifth instars on Great Blue hill. - Pandora Sphinx (Eumorpha pandorus) - I have recently found five fourth instars in Millis and Medfield, all on climbing Virginia Creeper.  All heavily parasitized. - Hog Sphinx (Darapsa myron) are still going.  Large fourth to prepupal fifth on Grape in Great Meadows, Wachusett Meadows, Millis and Medway, and other spots.  Definitely not as common as they were, but still findable. IV.  PROMINENTS & DAGGERS - Sigmoid Prominent (Clostera albosigma) on poplar at Fowl Meadow and Broad Meadow Brook - White Furcula (Furcula borealis) all over the Blue Hills - a great time to see this species.  Yesterday Linda and I had twelve individuals spanning every instar, all on cherry, all on the slopes and summit of Great Blue. - White-dotted Prominent (Nadata gibbosa) are still around though much scarcer.  Mostly fifth instars. - Double-toothed Prominent (Nerice bidentata) - the wave has passed but individuals of most instars can still be found with some searching.  I have seen them recently at Wachusett Meadows, Fowl Meadow, and Great Meadows. - Angulose Prominent  (Peridea angulosa)  are still turning up in the Blue Hills and other spots in various instars. - Oblique Heterocamba (Heterocampa obliqua) are showing up as large fifth instars in the Blue Hills.  Mostly on scrub oak. - White Blotched Heterocampa (Heterocampa umbrata) seem to have the longest season of any heterocampa and are still turning up as early instars on oak in Medfield, Walpole, and in the Blue Hills.  They are not all that common though. - Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar (Lochmaeus manteo) are common and have been found pretty much on every trip I make.  In the Blue Hills they are abundant. - Mottled Prominents (Macurocampa marthesia) have decreased in abundance as they increased in size, but they are still a sure thing along the road of Great Blue Hill. - Lace-capped Caterpillar (Oligocentria lignicolor) are everywhere, especially in the Blue Hills.  They feed in small groups and if I am focused on them, dozens can be turned up on the slopes of Great Blue. - Red-washed Prominent (Oligocentria semirufescens) one fifth instar on Black Cherry at Broad meadow Brook.  Three middle instars on Black Cherry at the summit of Mt Wachusett.  Not feeding on Poplar of Willow. - Black-spotted Schizura (Schizura leptinoides) a few parasitized individuals in the Blue Hills and at Broad Meadow Brook. - Unicorn Caterpillar (Schizura unicornis) early and middle instars still turning up, but becoming uncommon.  On apple, birch, and oak. - Morning Glory Prominent (Schizura ipomoeae) after a few weeks of abundance in the blue hills they seem to be thinning out.  I am still finding fifth instars in the Hills and other spots though. - Red-humped Oakworm (Symmerista sp.)  finally turned up at the summit of Wachusett.  Four groups of twelve or more individuals on oak right around the parking area. - American Dagger (Acronicta americana) are large and abundant.  They have turned up in most spots but my high count was at the summit of Wachusett - Oak Daggers (Acronicta increta, ovata, etc etc.)  Mostly fourth and fifth instars now.  All over the Blue Hills. - Speared Dagger (Acronicta hasta) are nearing the end of their season... just a few middle instar individuals around on Black Cherry V. SLUGS!!!  It is now truly Slug Moth season.  Walks in the Blue Hills have turned up as many as nine species in a day. - Red-crossed Button Slug (Tortricidia pallida) are showing up mostly near the summit of Great Blue Hill.  Not as abundant as I remember them being last year. - Abbreviated Button Slug (Tortricidia flexuosa) are the most abundant slug in the Blue Hills.  Any careful search of low hanging oak branches on the slopes and summit of Great Blue should turn these up. - Red-eyed Button Slug (Heterogenea shurtleffi) - I'm not entirely sure these are present, but I am raising a bunch of Blue Hills slugs that appear to be this species.  They lack the yellow collar that Wagner describes... so far.. - Elegant Tailed Slug (Packardia elegans) is a very beautiful little species.  Three individuals turned up on low growing Black Cherry at Broad Meadow Brook. - Jewel Tailed Slug (Packardia geminata) seems to be rather uncommon - I found one individual earlier in the year on oak in the Blue Hills and one individual recently on a low growing ericaceae in Medflield. - Yellow-shouldered Slug (Lithacodes fasciola) are showing up on most of my trips.  They are not as abundant as some other species in the Blue Hills, but they are more universal - turning up on more hostplants and in more habitats than others. - Shagreened Slug (Apoda biguttata) are not as abundant as they were a few weeks back, but a few fifth instars are still showing up in the Blue Hills. - Skiff Moth Slug (Prolimacodes badia) are beginning to show up more regularly.  Last trip to Great Blue Hill turned up five later instar individuals.  Very cool species. - Monkey Slug (Phobetron pithecium) are a one per trip caterpillar.  I have found them in the Blue Hills, Fowl Meadow, Millis and Medway, and various spots out west, but never in numbers. - Crowned Slug (Isa textula) is another species that is recently becoming more abundant in the Blue Hills and other spots as the season progresses. - Purple-crested Slug (Adoneta spinuloides) has turned up at Broad Meadow Brook and along trails in the Blue Hills.  Low Oak and Black Cherry branches along sunny trails have worked for me. - No Spiny Oak-Slugs or Saddleback Caterpillars Yet. VI: OTHER CATERPILLARS - Emerald Caterpillars (Nemoria species) are turning up on Poison Ivy, Sumac, Oak, Birch, and Sweetfern.  I've seen them lately in the Blue Hills, Wachusett Meadows and Summit, and in Medfield.  Very cool Geometers. - Red-lined and Brown Panopoda (Panopoda species) - feeding on oak and hickory in the Blue Hills, Red-lined more abundant and in more locations. - Maple Looper (Parallelia bistriaris) showed up on a trip to Wachusett and Wachusett Meadows, I haven't seen these elsewhere yet. - Baltimore Bomolocha (Bomolocha baltimoralis) on red maple Wachusett - Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata) abunant fifth instar on grape at Wachusett Meadows.  This is part o a partial second brood. - Brown-hooded Owlet (Cucullia convexipennis) showing up on most trips, abundant at Wachusett Meadows.  A very beautiful species that can be found by searching for eaten goldenrod plants in understory or otherwise sheltered areas.  I have not found these feeding in open field habitats. - Turbulent Phosphila (Phosphila turbulenta) - large fifth instar groups on smilax, especially in the Millis, Medway, Medfield area but other spots as well. - Rusty Tussock (Orgyia antiqua) - Wachusett area - Definite Tussock (Orgyia definita) - Montague Plains, Blue Hills. - White-marked Tussock (Orgyia leucostigma) - everywhere - Haploa sp. - early instar groups feeding on herbaceous weedy plants in the Blue Hills and elsewhere - St. Lawrence Tiger Moth (Platarctia parthenos) - a giant tiger that looks more like a mouse than a caterpillar.  Very happy to find one at the summit of Mt. Greylock. - Milkweed Tussock (Euchaetes egle) - all over Wachesett Meadows. Last day to search before I get back to work, Good Hunting! -Sam