Black Caterpillar ID

[gry]

I saw this unusual caterpillar at the base of my giant silver maple tree this morning in Green Bay, WI. Anyone know what kind it is?

DSCN7356.jpg (158.9 KiB) Viewed 1859 times

[kevinkk]

Nice to see an actual inquiry about an insect here.
Probably a moth larva, perhaps a Noctuid or Geometrid, assuming I spelled those correctly from memory. Typically, larva don't leave host plants-
(and it may not have been the maple), until they are ready to pupate, hence the dark color, typically.

[gry]

Nice to see an actual inquiry about an insect here.
Probably a moth larva, perhaps a Noctuid or Geometrid, assuming I spelled those correctly from memory. Typically, larva don't leave host plants-
(and it may not have been the maple), until they are ready to pupate, hence the dark color, typically.

Thanks so much! I think it is a Noctuid moth larva, specifically Eupsilia.