Caterpillars drive me nuts. I really, really need to apprentice myself, if anyone would have me, to an expert—UConn's David Wagner, who wrote the book, well, books, on caterpillar identification, would be ideal—who could tutor me on ID techniques, but, failing that, I have the right field guides, so at least I'm able to seek guidance though traditional means. It's hard going. When I spotted this gem atop the rain barrel, I started collecting images, and this continued when the fidgety larva launched itself into the air and dropped onto a hiding spot on the leaf litter. Armed with what I hoped were enough photos, I began the long process of leafing through the books. In the end, I was left with a confusion of possibles. It could be a Panopoda... or a Snout... or a Groundling... or maybe a Quaker... or, perhaps, something else. So many lepidopterans... so little expertise, on my part. With any luck, I'll find a guru.