When I saw a green shape ahead of me as I crossed the paved road, I thought it was a thin, slender leaf.

There were no vehicles on the road, so I could take my time, move closer, and take a better look.

And then the green shape inched forward!

It wasn’t a leaf, but a slender, green caterpillar.

Slowly making its way across the pavement, a long trek for a caterpillar, to the safety of green grass on the easement.

I can identify some caterpillars, like monarch, black swallowtail, and cabbage white, but this was a caterpillar I wasn’t familiar with.

After some research, I believe the caterpillar is an American Copper.

A small red-orange butterfly with dark spots and border, it’s around an inch in size.

I remember finding an American Copper butterfly last year in my yard, flying and landing on milkweed flowers.

For folks in the northern hemisphere, this month is the beginning of fall migration. If you’re interested, you can check Journey North maps to track migration.