A one centimeter-long instar of the Polyphemus Moth on a white oak leaf in Green-Wood.
It’ll get bigger…the final instar can be 6cm long (about 2.5″).
If this survives all the vicissitudes, it will pupate and return next year as a large moth.
Found last winter: I think these are all Polyphemus cocoons.
From this summer: an egg.
Willow, white oak, and swamp white oak have been where I’ve found all these life stages.
Check out this time-lapse of a Monarch caterpillar pupating. The pupal casing is internal which is not something I understood until now.
Ok, but how does a Polyphemus larva wrap itself in leaves on the way to pupation?
Backyard and Beyond 
Looks like if you planted it in a desert a cactus would sprout there.