Giant Swallowtail caterpillar and unknown caterpillar
I live in central Mexico in Guanajuato state and found this Giant Swallowtail caterpillar crawling across our porch. I ID’d him from the web and found that he belonged on our lime tree that’s many feet from where he was seen crawling. Today he’s happily munching away, though another one I spotted on the tree when I replaced him is no where in sight. I see that you do have a picture of a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar but I thought you might like one without the horns up. He sported his twice when I went to place him back on the lime tree leaves. Kinda cool to see. Otherwise, he looks like bird droppings (which I know is his clever camouflage), especially when he’s still. The other critters I also found on the same lime tree. It seems to be home to several insect species, including a variety of ants, jumping spiders and the itinerant bee or wasp. I spotted these little fuzzy white guys on the underneath side of some of the leaves toward the base of the tree. They’re about 1/4″ in diameter as far as I could tell. They were in kind of a precarious place so I couldn’t get really close. I don’t see anything on your site that resembles them. They’re too small for an asp, I think, and don’t really look like that. Any clues?
Thanks!
Stefanie

Hi Stephanie,
We are happy to post your Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar, commonly called an Orange Dog. Your other image came through as garbage and we can’t view it.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillars
I found these critters on your site, thanks! Your response to another reader suggested you might need another photo, so here’s a close-up of my garden pests.
Lisa

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the image. They really don’t eat that much parsley and you will have a lovely butterfly to follow.

mystery cocoons
Dear Bugman,
I think I had better tell this one backwards: While we were out of town last mid-September, our friends babysat our 2 cocoons for us here in Atlanta, Georgia, and to everyone’s amazement, hatched an Ichneumon. They took a picture for us, which I’m afraid I don’t have. However, we checked our bug book, as well as your fabulous site, and are quite sure that’s what it was. Only one of the two cocoons hatched. We had thought (very wrongly) that the caterpillars were monarchs. They were striped, but later we realized that the stripe colors were slightly wrong. They were happily eating parsley (beginning where we found them at a plant nursery), which should have been our first clue that these weren’t really monarch caterpillars. Well, they ate and ate until at last they both curled upside down one evening. The next morning, we had two very strange looking cocoons, as you can see in the pictures I’ve attached. They were not hanging down, but propped right-side up, and leaning back against a thread of silk, with it’s ends attached to the twig like… struts? I think you can make it out in at least one picture (13cocoonsB.jpg). The cocoon that hatched has a hole in it. I am not up for cutting open the second one, but could perhaps be convinced if necessary. So, what in the heck were these things (before they were devoured by the Ichneumon)? I wasn’t able to match the caterpillars to anything in my bug book, or on your site. It didn’t occur to me to photograph them until it was too late. I hope the cocoon photos are enough of a clue! Thanks … we love your site!
Penina
in Atlanta, GA

Hi Penina,
First, your cocoons are not cocoons, which is the word that describes the silken coating spun by most moth caterpillars to cover the pupa. Your butterfly pupa is also called a crysalis. The silken thread and the upward orientation is a dead giveaway that it is one of the genus Papilio, the Swallowtails. The food plant, parsley as well as the striped color would tend to identify the Black Swallowtail, Papilio asterius, as the most likely suspect.

Well way cool. I’ve been to the site you mention, an excellent resource. I note you had a request for a better picture of swallowtail caterpillars. I’ll attach one of my better ones, taken recently. These two are feeding on volunteer fennel in our garden. I’m not positive, but these are likely Black Swallowtail caterpillars. THanks again for the IDs. Wonderful site. Bookmarked. I’ll be back often. I’ll send a separate note with a photo of a click beetle for your collection.
Jim

I’m glad we could be helpful Jim. I don’t know if you have Anise Swallowtails, Papilio zelicaon, in your area. The caterpillars of Black Swallowtails and Anise Swallowtails look very similar. Thanks for the photo. It is pretty great.

Help – they are eating my herbs!
Hello Mr. Bugman;
I have thoroughly enjoyed your website; it is entertaining as well as educational. I’ve discovered it this summer and can’t wait to tell our biology teacher at school about this great site. I’m sure to be looking over the identification for this caterpillar, so would appreciate your help. These beautiful, however destructive, critters are munching away at my basil and dill. This is my first year with a small herb garden; I had no idea that I would have such hungry visitors! Would you please identify them for me. Thank you very much (sorry the picture is a little fuzzy),
Sharon
Oneonta , Alabama
( North Alabama )

Hi Sharon,
Thank you for the compliment. You have Black Swallowtail Caterpillars, Papilio asterius. They are called Carrot Worms by some people. They grow into a pretty black butterfly with yellow spots. The caterpillars have the ability to emit two orange horns and a foul odor when provoked. Send us a sharper photo if you can.

Dear What’s That Bug,
I was walking through the woods yesterday evening when I ran across several of these creatures. We live in the southeastern U.S….these were found near dusk in a drizzle in a forest. I have always heard of them being called ‘cherry bugs’ due to the scent that they emit when startled or feel threatened…they are between 1.5 and 2.5 inches in length, black, with yellow spots down not only the sides, but also down the center of the back as well. All markings are symmetrical. They look *very* similar to a picture I saw of a yellow-spotted millipede…the difference being the extra row of yellow spots down the center of the back….plus, the yellow-spots are from Oregon…and we are in Tennessee. I am curious to know what exactly these are, they are interesting creatures, and I’d like to know a bit more about them. Also, any care advice would be appreciated as well.
Thank you! -
Christina Loder

Dear Christina,
Unfortunately, if you enclosed a photograph, it did not arrive. Based on your description, and your latitude and longitude, I would guess that you have stumbled upon some caterpillars, more specifically, the larvae of some local swallowtail (Papilio sp.) My guess would be the larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly, which feeds on parsley and related plants including Queen Anne’s Lace which grows in uncultivated meadows. The caterpillars are green, black and yellow, and have two orange horns which are hidden near the head. When the caterpillar is threatened, the horns emerge, along with a musty smell that I would not really liken to the scent of cherries. Try this: http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/
1insects/BSC.html
If you keep them in captivity, you can feed them carrot tops. They will form a crysalid and a butterfly will eventually emerge.