California fauna, California butterflies, california caterpillars, moths, California history

The Blue Caterpillar (caterpillus azuliis) is unique to El Fornio and a favorite
of tourists visiting the area. Found mainly along the slopes and interior passes
of the Pass, the "Blues," as locals call them, can be located
by the phosphorescent glow they emit while feeding. While the caterpillar
is bitter to the taste, its moth form, the "Sugary Gray Moth," is sweet and delectable,
yet completely lacking the phosphorescence of the caterpillar stage.
Nearly made extinct by those wanting to exploit them for the spectacle of their
shiney blue entrails as well as for the strange candy the locals produce from them,
the Blue Caterpillar is staging a comeback. Each spring, biologists count
more and more of the strange insect living in the hills. Click on the two thumbnails
below to learn more about the El Fornio Blue Caterpillar.

Read an excerpt on the Blue Caterpillar/Gray Moth
from The Charmed Life: The Story of a Boy Who Changes
READ IT