Calling all Caterpillar experts . . .

4thPanda · June 2015

Hi folks

Found these three in the front garden. Any ideas what type of butterfly/moth these will turn into? I'm hoping it's going to be something more interesting than the one with the funny eyes.

Many thanks

fidgetbones · June 2014

Large white butterfly.

Lock up your cabbages.

4thPanda · June 2014

I knew it wouldn't be exciting

Glad I don't have any cabbages for them to chomp

Hortum-cretae · June 2014

They're at pupation stage, too, What are they onat the moment? Plant I mean, not medication!

Zoomer44 · June 2014

LOL.

I saw a lovely blue butterfly in the garden a few days ago,almost the colour of my t-shirt.

4thPanda · June 2014

They are on some alliums (I think!) At least they are allium type leaves

Alison Clifford · June 2015

Hi!!! Can I please get help on a little guy I found on the sidewalk! It was under an ash tree and I took clippings because the caterpillar seemed stunned and wasn't latching on to the bark and had his six front feet all together in a prayer position. We are having heavy rains so I placed him in a bowl so I could keep him safe until the following day. It didn't move at all so I thought it had died until I moved him and just the abdomen down moved but neither the head nor the legs moved. I switched out the leaves and had a few drops of water on some in case it needed to drink. Ok to make this as short as possible, this was on Thursday since then the abdomen is the only part that moves and pretty much just when its in sunlight and or I move it to place new leaves. The suckers have practically disappeared and the middle of the abdomen is sunken and inflates when it moves. Today I actually touched the upper body and it is completely hard!! and this whole time it has continued to change color as it's supposed to before making a cocoon. I am freaking out. Is this normal??? Could it be infected with a parasite??? I can't upload a photo yet because I am posting from my phone. The pic I found that closely resembles the caterpillar is the tiger swallowtail. Please help if this is normal then ill relax but if it's infected I need to get it out of my garden!

Blue Onion · June 2015

Some wasps lay their eggs inside of caterpillars.

Dovefromabove · June 2015

Some caterpillars need to burrow into the soil before pupating - perhaps this was why your caterpillar was on the sidewalk - as children when we had a caterpillar ready to pupate we always put them in a container with several inches of slightly moist soil in the bottom.

As the Tiger Swallowtail is a North American species I take it that you're not in the UK

Alison Clifford · June 2015

No I'm in Mexico. the container I placed it in has sand... But since I picked it up it hasn't moved at all without being touched... And the fact that the upper body is hard freaks me out. Thanks. I guess I'll spray the sand with a bit of water and remove some of the leaves? Or shall I replace the sand all together? That would just disturb the caterpillar a little more... O_o

I know about wasps and spiders being parasitic... But I looked up symptoms and well none of them fit this caterpillar but I have never seen a caterpillar act like this before either and we generally have a lot because of the size of our garden.... So it's all very strange.

Dovefromabove · June 2015

I would just place it in a shady corner outside and leave it alone. I think it's either pupating or dieing. Nothing you do will change the outcome of either process.

Nature is so fascinating.

Calling all Caterpillar experts . . .

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