At first I thought the grackles had paused on my potted lemon tree on their way to roost in the HEB supermarket parking lot. Those pesky birds had deposited a couple of yucky blobs on the leaves.
Then I saw a bizarre object on one of the stems. It looked like a rough, gray, stubby snake with a big head.
You guessed it! They are caterpillars, in two different stages of development. If all goes well, they will turn into giant swallowtail butterflies, which can have a wingspan of up to 6 inches. The caterpillars are called orange dogs because of their love of all kinds of citrus plants. If they feel threatened, they poke out a couple of horns that exude a bitter odor. I did not threaten them though. My husband relocated a couple of them to the lime tree and a rue plant.
Giant swallowtail butterflies feed on the nectar of lantana flowers, which we have in abundance. So watch this space--if I can get some photos of these beauties, I'll post them here!
Robin Rogers, Realtor, Broker-owner, ABR, TRC, CRS
Also Cat Owner, Photographer, Smartass, Aspiring World-Class Drummer
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Gotta say, that was pretty gross. Not much of a bug guy.
Robin~ What an interesting little creature. I have never heard of a caterpillar called "Orange Dog"........
Robin, I was looking at your photo before reading your comments. My 8 year old son, Zack, walked in the room and proceeded to tell me that was a giant swallowtail caterpillar that lives on orange trees. Wow. i am impressed by both of you!
Yikes! Caterpillars from Mars is more like it. If your husband starts acting strange, better check the shed for pods. ;)
Nice pictures, Robin. It's amazing how they evolve into something so beautiful and that you've saved them by thoughtful relocation. Good nature story
Hi Robin, Thanks for the neat pictures. Do those creepy guys eat your plants? I would love to see the pictures of the butterflies that come out of those cocoons.
I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like that! I can't wait to see your shots of the swallowtail butterflies.
Robin
You always have interesting photos from your garden. We l found something yesterday that must have dropped in from Mars! I'll post later.
Dennis, you wouldn't want to get close to the green lynx spiders in my previous posts.
Vickie, I don't get the "dog" part myself. It could not look less like a dog!
Sounds like your son is a smart kid, Meyer!
Rob & Jeannie: Too late--my husband always acts strange.
Thanks, David, Sandy, Jim and Maria! I hope I can catch the moment when the caterpillars turn into butterflies.
Trey, I can't wait to see your Martian visitor!
Howdy Robin
Sure do like your caterpillar post. You took really fine photos of the two of them.
It's been some time, that I've got to see a Swallowtail butterflie.
Hi, Dale:
We've got lots of the tiger swallowtails, since they hatched out of our dill plant this spring and they love the butterfly bush. But I haven't seen any of the giant swallowtails yet. I am running outside right now to see if I can find one!
Cheers,
Robin