The plump yellow caterpillar turned out to be an Elm Sawfly larva clinging to a sprout of birch about 18 inches above the leaf litter at the base of a birch tree. Painted on location next to the artist's cabin studio in Alaska on another rainy day. The first such 'caterpillar' he had ever seen -- so he hurriedly painted what he saw as quickly as possible before the rain resumed, which it did. The background was painted inside the cabin. The painting is on linen glued to high grade ApplePly Hardwood Plywood.