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swallowtail caterpillarsSnake Eyes and Forked Tongue
We discovered about ten caterpillars on our lemon tree in Texas. They resemble a small snakes head (false eyes) like some Swallow Tails. When touched…surprise two small bright orange appendages flick out; looks just like a snake’s forked tongue. Any ideas? Now that I’ve found your wonderful site, I’ll get some pictures. One is already in the pupae stage. Here are a couple photos. They are only about 1 1⁄2 inches in length. Chrysalis photo to follow; it’s night here now, so I’ll wait until tomorrow. Little buggers are wreaking havoc on my lemon tree:-). Also, do you have any tips on relocating the pupae? I want to move it to a container in order to observe it when it emerges. Thank you for your time.
Keith L. Wagoner
Commander, U.S. Navy
Hi Commander Keith,
This is an Orange Dog, the caterpillar of the beautiful Giant Swallowtail. Many people, us included, think they resemble bird droppings. The orange scent organ is the osmetrium. Try pruning the branch away from the tree to relocate the chrysalis. Thw Swallowtails create a silken girdle for the pupa so that it is upright. Removing the chrysalis without the branch could damage the creature.
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