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I went to the veggie garden last week and thought this disgusting blob near the door handle was droppings...until it fought back when I started to scrape it off with a stick!!!
It's in the Swallowtail family...
Clever disguise, isn't it? Although I could have injured it if I had scraped harder to start with...

quote:

It's in the Swallowtail family...

Never seen anything like it!

That is one weird 'baby'! LOL

What is this again?? Looks like ice cream treat or bakery! (see how I think! LOL)

Wow..you are right...EXACTLY like something I'm sure that saw in a French Bakery!

That's a CATERPILLAR???? Yikes!

I just googled it. It's the caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail. If you bother it too much, it will produce an ammonia like stink. I have never seen anything like it. Wow.

I didn't try to smell it when I irritated it....
but Ewwwww...that would be some very strange French pastry.

LOL

Wow that is really strange. Thanks for sharing it with us!!

LOL when I started reading your post I suspected as much....my children always wanted to raise some so this year we have raised 8 of those poopers....what an awesome defense against birds! Wondering how the heck he happended upon your doorknob though...they prefer p r i c kly ash, rue, and citrus family thingys. Bet he was looking for a place to make his chrystalist....they overwinter in that form til next spring!!

Giant Swallowtail is the largest butterfly in North America!

All the swallowtails excrete through their osmeteriums...but black swallowtails are the worst imho for stink.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GreenAlice,

That is simply amazing!!! Thanks for the pictures and for the education. So is it going to remain on your door knob until next spring?


ve

that was my thought, too. what will you do?

I was thinking same...is he still there?!?! Forgot to mention that before they start the process they hang around upright for a good 36 hrs or so then DUMP the contents of their bodies out....it's rather gross. Then they appear smaller and make silk spots and attach selves appearing about half their original size and create a little hammock sling for self...(see the thread? It's really strong!)for a day or so before they shed their final molt and look more like below usually make it on bark so they mimic lichen and wood but this fellow made it on a screen so I am guessing the door frame could be its spot unless she moved it off....

once in awhile we have found one or two that hatches in Indian Summer time of year but otherwise? Could be JUNE!!! Most of ours make theirs horizontally inside our habitats...but think it's more common in nature to be vertical. Then the butterfly emerges from one end.....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GreenAlice,

That is so cool jvelo! I'd never seen one either...at least that I know of.

We have lots of giant swallow tails around here but I've never found one of those.
GA, I don't have any of those trees you mentioned by there are some citrus in the area...well, let me back up...I have 5 VERY small lemon trees, but not big enough yet for them to cling to...smaller than pencil size yet.

Now ya'al are going to have me looking for "p**p?!

LOL Karen.

Such an interesting thread. I have never seen anything like this before...we must not have the habitat for them. In fact, not sure I've ever even seen one of those giant swallowtails. They must be lots bigger than your normal swallowtail.

The black swallowtail cats on my parsley are still munching and getting fatter. I hope they make it before frost. How long does it take......we shouldn't have frost here until late October (in a normal year).

ve

I have seen those do-do looking things on my orange trees. They sure are ugly! And yes, that little red thing they stick out really does have a strong smell, and it's really hard to scrub off your skin.

Pric kly ash is sort of a shrubby thing...very picky along trunk and stems. It grows from underground runners and I can attest it does transplant easy peasy from a local woods. Rue is an herb so easiest to grow and makes nice bushy shaped habit about 2 x 3 with yellow flowers. Irritating to most peeps skin though...See picture of pric kly ash
and Rue....not to be confused with meadow rue...which they don't seem to eat at all.

quote:

Originally posted by ga.karen:
That is so cool jvelo! I'd never seen one either...at least that I know of.

We have lots of giant swallow tails around here but I've never found one of those.
GA, I don't have any of those trees you mentioned by there are some citrus in the area...well, let me back up...I have 5 VERY small lemon trees, but not big enough yet for them to cling to...smaller than pencil size yet.

Now ya'al are going to have me looking for "p**p?!

It's rather poor parenting but I am amazed when I see eggs on the bitty plants no larger than 3" when there are large healthy stalks around. Pipevine swallowtails lay a dozen or so at a time and they can devour things with no awareness that other moms have laid their brood on the leaf next door!!!

Started growing pipevine this year...dutchman's pipe hopefully it will return next Spring as it was so hard to find and rather pricey to boot!

My name is Alice and I'm a butterfly addict...there I said it....

The next morning, this creature had moved on.
I looked around the area but didn't find it or any other caterpillars, despite the fact that I have both Rue herb to the right of the veggie garden door, and dill to the left.
I also, was wondering where it intended to "spend the winter"

Hi Jvelo.... they make their winter homes bout anywhere....one book I read by peeps who were total geeks and tried to photograph and raise everyone about mentioned they don't prune or clean up because they find chrystalists EVERYWHERE...including underneath patio furniture etc. They usually don't make it on their host plant that the pillars ate growing up.....I have rarely ever seen any in nature, only in my habitats. The monarchs, Tiger Swallowtail and I assume others as well when done feeding do a big wander, are very mobile and active seeking out where to rest. And look how much they camoflauge to look like a twig offshoot?!?! The black swallowtail can be green or brown and it must depend on their surroundings...because when they make theirs in the brown habitat they usually are brown and drastically green when in the one with green trim aroound top and sides where they make their spots. But that rue was probably it's pillar host.