Today's photo is a lowly little inchworm. It is the larvae of a moth in the Geometridae family. There are over 1,200 species of inchworms in North America. The inchworm only has legs on the front and back of its body. It has three pair of true legs on the front and two or three pairs of larval appendages (called prolegs) on the back. This means that in order to walk the inchworm must loop the body as it moves forward with the front legs and then pulls the body forward to use the hind legs. This inchworm stands motionless when it is threatened and looks like a tiny branch or twig.
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