Hummingbirds and others

[Diane Amberg]

Yup. It figures..Lepidoptra are real lightweights.   and definitely do lack actual knowledge. Reference books work well for most anybody.
Wilma,what kind of bush/plant was your caterpillar on? Was it eating?

[Wilma]

It was on a post on the front porch and the nearest greenery is pansies.  In a pot next to the pansies is snapdragons.

[Bullwinkle]

      If you had consulted a reference, then you would know that Gypsy moths are nowhere near here.

[Diane Amberg]

I didn't think so. That's why I said it probably wasn't. They have been spreading west every year, thought perhaps they had gotten there finally. Ya don't know what you are missing. Some liberal should mail you a nice big box of them. 

[Bullwinkle]

       So you spoke before checking any reference. Interesting.

       We have hummingbird moths, fun to watch. We have plenty of diversity here, I would suggest not messing with mother nature, that has created many of the issues with predator/prey situations getting worse across the country.


      Wilma, I would guess your search popped up the swallowtails I mentioned. Anything close? By the way, many of the pillars with spiked appendages are actually a stinging type , but I found none of those in this region. The swallowtails were about the only ones here.

[Diane Amberg]

No, No, No! I did check my Butterflies of the World book ... More than 5,000 in it, but I didn't look downstairs for others that I used in school. I SAID  it probably wasn't Gypsy Moths, but you might have them by now for all I know. They are moving west quickly.  This is not a competition!                                         

[Diane Amberg]

Ok Wilma, I went down stairs and poked through my reference books. I might have found your critter in the Audubon Field Guide to North American Butterflies.( If you have it too, then don't bother with what I'm going to write.) It's a nice book because it has not just the butterflies and photographs but also the caterpillars and the chyrsalis info. and photographs.
I think Bull is right because  it does seem to be the Pipestem Swallowtail, also known as the Blue Swallowtail. The book has a good photo of the caterpillar. It is all black, has  short spines, two longer antenna and it looks like two rows of red or reddish orange spots down it's back. It doesn't have the big "head" and false eye spots that some do. When they eat Pipevine they pick up a nasty taste that birds don't like.

[Bullwinkle]

       The only thing is, Wilma said it had only one row of dots, so that throws a kink in ID.

      Just couldn't find anything from here that would be a better match than a swallowtail of some kind.

[Wilma]

I don't have that book, but with your notes to start with, I found the Blue Swallowtail and I have seen that butterfly around here.  The picture of the larvae doesn't match the caterpiller that I found, but mine might have been in a different stage of development than the picture.   The next time we go to the big city and have the time we will find a book on butterflies, probably not the same one you have since you have already searched it.  It sounds like a very comprehensive book.

[Diane Amberg]

Please describe the Blue Swallow Tail caterpillar your picture had. Was it black too? You might try the Howard library....or is that the big city...HA!