Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Cat ID, please, 0 by TexasPuddyPrint

TexasPuddyPrint wrote:
Note: Hoverflies are considered predators...but I think that is mainly for aphids. I haven't found any dessicated or predated caterpillars..maybe because there are always big fat juicy aphids to be had...or maybe because there are so many caterpillars around that I don't notice a decrease in their amounts.

The monarch caterpillar colors may have a slight variety in the shades or band widths of each instar...but they pretty much stay the same.

You might have been seeing a queen caterpillar if the colors looked a bit different - the queen cat has a yellow spot or band within the black bands that usually doesn't go all the way around the cat's body...and it has three sets of antennae-like filaments that sometimes have a yellow or maroon colored base.

Just remember...the monarch cat only has two sets of antennae-like filaments and the color bands go all the way around it.

Here's a photo of a Queen cat.

~ Cat