Puzzled
Dear WTB, we live in northern California, in the foothills north of Sacramento (Penryn). On our walks to the local pond we have been finding a lot of these caterpillars along the trail. Can you help us learn what they are? Thank you,
Jack (6) and Macy (4).
Hi Jack and Macy,
This is a Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar. They feed on both native and cultivated pipevine. If provoked, the caterpillar has an interesting defense mechanism. A forked orange scent gland called the osmetrium emerges, looking like a forked horn. The caterpillar then emits a foul odor.
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Posted 15 December 2006
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caterpillar
Greetings, My cousin in Florida found this little guy in her back yard. Any ideas? My son thinks it is a snake mimic of some sort. Thanks,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
We typically think of caterpillars with large false eyespots, like the Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar, as snake mimics. The Caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail, also known as the Orange Dog, which you sent in, seems to many people (and we include ourselves in that camp) to imitate bird droppings. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of citrus trees.
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Posted 11 November 2006
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Orange Dog pic
Hi Bugman,
Wonderful caterpillar pages. You have helped me finally identify my Orange Dog caterpillars! They love lemon trees in Texas. They are our little rainforest buddies. This one picture October 2006 in the lemon tree. Thank you!
Jill in San Antonio TX
Hi Jill,
We are pleased to know you used our site to identify your Orange Dog, the caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail.
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Posted 01 November 2006
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Bird Poop Caterpillar
Hi Bugman,
I believe I may have found the Bird Poop Caterpillar on my lemon tree here in Kansas City. I see pictures of the moth but can not find pictures of the caterpillar. What do you think?
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
The caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly resembles bird droppings and eats leaves of citrus trees. It is commonly called the Orange Dog.
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Posted 09 October 2006
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Caterpllar ID please
I have been searching all sorts of photos on the web. I have not been able to find anything that remotely resembles this fella. I live in Central PA.
Ellen
Hi Ellen,
This is a Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar. Over the years, we have received at least 4 images and have them in our archives buried somewhere on our 7 caterpillar pages.
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Posted 05 October 2006
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I thought you might like this
I saw on your site that you were looking for a photo of an ‘orange dog’ and I believe this is it. I found these huge caterpillars in late June on my lemon tree in Arlington, Texas. Stretched along the branches, they were perfectly camouflaged as bird droppings. When disturbed, they display a red-orange star-shaped organ that smells like ‘caterpillars’. The scent is what clued me in to their presence. I smelled them while watering the little tree. These are very large, scary-looking caterpillars, and I wore gloves to pick them up; however, they didn’t harm anyone. We kept these in an aquarium on the back porch (with netting over the top) and I sacrificed a few more of my lemon leaves to allow them to reach maturity. We released six of the adults in early July. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph the adults.
Char
P.S. Love your site.
Hi Char,
Your letter is quite wonderful. Since that request was made, we have received several wonderful images of Orange Dogs, but yours is the first submission of a Chrysalis, which excites us to no end. Swallowtail Chrysalids can be distinguished by the girdle of silk that keeps the pupa in an upright position.
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Posted 28 September 2006
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whats this bug
hello.
we would like to find out what this bug is. it is yellow and has green suction cup feet with 2 blue spots on each segment of his body. he looks similar to a caterpillar. he has cartoonish looking black lines and spots on his head and around his eyes. we’ve never seen anything like this. thanks
katie and kapri
Hi Katie and Kapri,
This is a Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar. They often turn from green to orange just before getting ready to metamorphose into a chrysalis.
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Posted 24 September 2006
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Brown Bug
Hi,
We found this bug outside of the Boys and Girls Club in Kelowna British Columbia. The kids want to know what it is – perhaps a Tersa Sphinx? Thanks a bunch!
Heather Painchaud
Hi Heather,
This is a Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar.
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Posted 21 September 2006
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Beautiful Caterpillar
Bugman:
We are living in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. We found this caterpillar in our yard. Some of the locals say that if you are bit by it, you will be down with a fever for several days. One of the coolest features is the visible pulsing of fluid down the black line along its back. Any clues as to what it is or will become? Thanks. My 6 year old son, Eli, will appreciate your response. The yogurt container in the photo is a quart size and the caterpillar is probably 7 or 8 cm long.
Don
Hi Don,
This is the second Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar sent to us from Mexico today. The locals are wrong, though this caterpillar does have an interesting defense mechanism besides the protective markings which mimic a snake. Swallowtail Caterpillars possess an osmetrium, an orange forked scent organ that remains hidden until the caterpillar is provoked.
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Posted 12 September 2006
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a Mexican caterpillar
Hello from England.
This caterpillar was walking along the pavement outside Chapultepec park in Mexico City on 16th July 2006. Maybe it was looking for somewhere to pupate. It was about as big as my thumb (21⁄2 inches) and reminded me of the elephant hawkmoth caterpillar that we get in the UK. It had false eyes and raised the front of its body in an attempt to look fierce. Can you help?
Best Wishes
Phil Pemberton
Hi Phil,
This is a Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar, and judging by the orange color, we agree it is getting ready to pupate. The caterpillars are green for most of their life, often turning orange or brown just before metamorphosis.
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Posted 12 September 2006
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Snake 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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Posted 11 September 2006
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Some kind of swallowtail?
Dear Bugman,
This caterpillar looks a lot like the tiger swallowtail one, shown on your site on 7-07-2004, except that it’s brown instead of green. Can these guys change colors depending on their background? This one was found today on a dark blue shirt after he/she rode into the house out in the country in northern Indiana. He/She is only about 2″ long and in addition to the great false eyes, he/she had lots of beautiful purple (yes, purple!) dots.
Diane M. Whisnant
Hi Diane,
Many caterpillars, including the Tiger Swallowtail you have sent in, the Spicebush Swallowtail, and some of the Sphinx Moths, change color before metamorphosis.
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Posted 09 September 2006
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