Upon the rain-drenched foliage of vivid green
A living jewel glimmers in full bright and stain
In the pellucid beads of amber, gold and red
Smart and quiet crawler makes its forest bed.
Caterpillar is not venomous in its glass design
While clear gelatinous armour reflects its shine
Yet a false alarm to predatory birds passing by
What a glowing beacon underneath the sky.
Should ever hungry ants make a sudden strike
They thicken at breakaway gems along the spike
The sticky jelly coats, compels the foe’s retreat
And unharmed, living jewel moves on soft feet.
With the season’s turn, the crystal coat is shed
And the fluffy moth of orange emerges instead
From the glass-like larva bound to leaf and stem
To an airborne flight – the canopy’s hidden gem.
The Jewel Caterpillar (Acraga coa) is a native to the neotropical rainforests of Central and South America, and one of the visually most striking and biologically peculiar creature of insects world.
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