Ghost Flowers! Earthstars! Hickory Horned Devils! … And More Weird and Wonderful Oddities of Nature

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Despite its formidable size and fierce-looking horns, the hickory horned devil is harmless.
Despite its formidable size and fierce-looking horns, the hickory horned devil is harmless.
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With their bizarre, supersensitive snouts, star-nosed moles can detect, identify as edible, and gobble prey in less than a quarter of a second.
With their bizarre, supersensitive snouts, star-nosed moles can detect, identify as edible, and gobble prey in less than a quarter of a second.
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Star-nosed moles’ ability to hunt underwater distinguishes them from other moles.
Star-nosed moles’ ability to hunt underwater distinguishes them from other moles.
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Robed in velvety wings, the royal walnut moth appears far less ferocious than its larval stage, the hickory horned devil.
Robed in velvety wings, the royal walnut moth appears far less ferocious than its larval stage, the hickory horned devil.
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Sapsuckers bore into tree bark and then feed on the sap that collects in and around the holes.
Sapsuckers bore into tree bark and then feed on the sap that collects in and around the holes.
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An earthstar’s “rays” open with enough force to push back surrounding debris, allowing the spore-filled sac to better catch a breeze.
An earthstar’s “rays” open with enough force to push back surrounding debris, allowing the spore-filled sac to better catch a breeze.
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In spring, anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of baby praying mantises can hatch out of an ootheca (egg case).
In spring, anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of baby praying mantises can hatch out of an ootheca (egg case).
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Ethereal “ghost flowers” will disintegrate if touched. Also known as Indian pipes, these plants can be found deep within moist woods in much of the United States.
Ethereal “ghost flowers” will disintegrate if touched. Also known as Indian pipes, these plants can be found deep within moist woods in much of the United States.

Not everything we encounter in nature is familiar — or even seemingly of this Earth. Here are a few oddities of nature — mystifying, sometimes startling creatures that may well make you stop, scratch your head, and wonder: What the heck is that? 

Devilish Royalty

Go for a walk in the woods anywhere in the United States east of the Great Plains, and with luck — either good or bad, depending on your fright threshold — you may encounter the devil, specifically the hickory horned devil, surely our most fearsome-looking caterpillar. It’s the larva of the royal walnut (or regal) moth, one of about 70 species of wild silkworm moths that inhabit our continent north of Mexico. Most silkworm caterpillars are large and bear odd, fleshy bumps, nubs, and/or bristles. But for sheer intimidation power, nothing beats the hickory horned devil.

When mature, the caterpillar is huge — 5 to 6 inches long and almost three-quarters of an inch in diameter, roughly the size of a frankfurter. Its fleshy body is sometimes brown but is usually green to deep aqua blue, with white and black patterns along its sides. Most startling are the pairs of long, pointed, black-tipped orange horns that curve backward over its head. Short, black spines bristle along the rest of the caterpillar.

Add to this the hickory horned devil’s habit of thrashing wildly from side to side if disturbed, and there’s little wonder why humans hesitate to pick one up. Some caterpillars possess urticating hairs that release an irritating toxin, much like that released by stinging nettle plants. But the hickory horned devil, despite its appearance, is harmless.

  • Published on Aug 23, 2010
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