Help with caterpiller ID

[Daniel Little]

Does anyone know what kind of caterpillar this is.  I have searched books and the internet but hit a dead end.

 

[Mark Whitmore]

I'd be hard put to say this is anything but an Owlet, or a moth in the family Noctuidae. Exactly which one is difficult to say because they are quite variable in their coloration, even within a species. BUT it is always important when submitting photographs to state the plant that you have found the bug feeding on and what kind of damage is being inflicted. Noctuids are not known as forest pests. Turf and vegies, yes. Forests not yet. If you perceive that this insect may be a pest please let us know! 

[Daniel Little]

Thanks Mark,  I found this one on a soft maple top in one of my timber sales in the Town of Virgil last summer , no where near turf or veggies.  I just ran across the photo again and realized I had never found out what it was.  The stand was a mixed hardwood/spruce-fir plantation that had been shelter-wooded, this was the only one of the critters I found.

[Mark Whitmore]

Thanks for the additional info Dan. I'm glad to hear that the damage was not widespread and that we do not have a new emerging pest! Thanks for being observant and sharing the photo. Keep 'em coming.