Subject: Caterpillar
Geographic location of the bug: Phoenix, AZ
Date: 11/11/2017
Time: 10:34 AM EDT
Is this a privet hawk moth caterpillar? We found this on our cement patio November 9, 2017. It was around 6:00pm. We placed it in the dirt. Found it dead the next morning where we left it.
How you want your letter signed: Jill
Dear Jill,
In our opinion, this looks like a Rustic Sphinx Caterpillar, a common species in Arizona, and its pink coloration indicates it is pre-pupal. It is possible that the dirt where you placed it was too hard for it to dig, and that it has begun metamorphosis without going underground.