Woah---okay DH took pics of this catapillar on our citrus tree when we moved to the new place. It LOOKS like a snake! The pics have yet to be downloaded but a search reveals it's identity. Wondered if anyone knows if this is a dangerous pest or how we should treat it (it's on a citrus tree) or if it is harmless.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugo_br/196480279/
SNAKEAPILLAR (link with pics)
TNN, it's a Giant Swallowtail cat....they turn into this gorgeous butterfly, here's a pic. Do you have enough to share?
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://insects.tamu.edu/images/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/papilionidae/papilio_cresphontes_adult_lateral_m_07.jpg&imgrefurl=http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/youth/bug/bug115.html&h=667&w=640&sz=50&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=cQ41TiD5rJHLKM:&tbnh=138&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgiant%2Bswallowtail%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX
Share? You want some!???!?!?!
I think my DH caught 4 on the bush. He saved them in a jar to take to work to ID (silly---internet is waaay easier) but one died---wasn't looking to good to begin with. He released them to the bush though.
If you'd like some let me ask him to see what's out there. I'm a wimp---don't want to touch 'em. HA!
Haha, I just have a little lemon tree, not enough for a cat.....I just meant can you share the tree with them? Don't you think they're kinda cute?
ROFL, thanks for clarifying! It's a good size bush now---but are they harmful to it?
They'll probably eat a few leaves, but they won't do any permanent damage. :-)
Just let them complete their life cycle, then each will form a chrysalis (most likely off the plant) so they can be beautiful butterflies! I've got 9 of those caterpillars I'm raising in cages. Did any stick out the forked orange osmetrium and let you smell their "special" aroma?
linda,
ah yes....INSIDE the house once in their jar we got a nice wiff. HA!
That will turn into a gorgeous Giant Swallowtail...or depending on where you live it might be a rare Ornythion Swallowtail. The caterpillars are extremely similar I have a hard time telling them apart.
The caterpillars won't harm your tree...well unless you have something like a thousand of them :o) They are very legarthic eaters...a big difference in eating styles if you've ever seen a Monarch caterpillar chow down! They won't harm you either if you pick them up. No need to be afraid of them.
I do hope you will raise them or at least leave them on your citrus tree to feed. Once they are big enough they will wander off to pupate and depending on he weather and season they will emerge in about ten days.
Remember only about 2% of the eggs a butterfly lays will ever make it to adulthood. Spiders, birds, wasp, lizards and all kinds of other predators make a meal out of them.
I don't find the osmetrium smell bothersome at all. I often use it to find caterpillars on my huge citrus trees. I'll run my hand over the branches and when I get a whiff of it I know I have caterpillars close at hand. I'll usually move them into a reptarium to raise and release.
~ Cat
This message was edited Apr 29, 2007 7:11 PM
Thanks for the pic! Gorgeous! Yes of course I will leave them. =)
Yay......thanks TNN! Next time I'll do the hard sell like Cat! Great pic too!
=)
Yes I did notice there was hardly any munching of the leaves.
Does this mean I actually HAVE an orange tree? Or might it be any citrus tree?
They like ornamental citrus and other citrus relatives. It could be a lemon tree.
Sheesh, better be a MEYER LEMON! LOL. But I know it's not the improved variety for it has spines. OUCH!
Oh ouch!
Could be any kind of citrus tree. They use plants in the rutaceae family.
Out here they use my citrus trees which are navel orange, tangerine, ruby red grapefruit and at the ranch they use valencia orange and tangerine as well as native colima/prickly ash and baretta....oh and rue too.
~ Cat
...and here's three puddling at the windmill run off.
Cat, you should give TNN your brew so she can make a batch for them.
These guys don't come to butterfly brew...pretty much only the brushfoots like admirals, question marks, hackberrys, bluewings, crackers, ladys etc. However, the Giant Swallowtail and Ornythion Swallowtails are known to puddle together where water has leeched minerals to the surface :o)
Don't worry...so long as you have citrus trees or rue plants they'll show up and leave little golden presents on the top of the leaves. Then caterpillars will hatch and they'll start to resemble bird poo...what a great camouflage!!!
~ Cat :o)
This message was edited Apr 29, 2007 8:57 PM
Oh, okay.......she could have a Lime tree too, don't they have thorns?
Limes, lemons, oranges...all of the above :o) Some citrus has thorns...so does the native colima. Guess when the smell, bird poo disguise or snake look doesn't work...the thorns will keep predators away too.
Here's a photo of it looking like bird poo with osmetrium extended and on a thorny branch of native colima.
~ Cat
Cat,
Thanks for the visual references. Now I won't think I'm going nuts when I start to see this pillars in action. HA!
We found two on our new Hercules Club tree today, and I was jumping up and down,
What a thrill !!!
Plant it and they will come (even if it's in a pot)! I've got the Giant Swallowtails and the Monarchs so far. Now I'm starting to check my Spicebush!
WTG Josephine!!!
One of those was checking out my Meyer lemon the other day.
What does the caterpillar smell like?
O.K. Girls, this is the guy on our Herculis Club, he looks like the branch itself, and he is very big.
And now with my friend's hand behind it for contrast.
Very coooooool!
I've never actually smelled them, but my book says 'unpleasant'. Maybe we could get TNN or Josephine to test it out and let us know? lol
Inquiring minds want to know!
I don't know, I am kind of afraid to handle him for fear of hurting him.
Maybe Cat or someone else had had first hand experience with the 'smell'.
The caterpillars don't smell if they are left alone. Normally when they are touched or frightened....they extend their osmetrium and it emits an odor.
I don't find the smell offensive...it's rather best described as a sickening sweet smell. Not too bad but if you keep sniffing it for a long time I guess you have a weak stomach you'd get nauseated by it.
Maybe I'm odd...but the smell doesn't bother me. I find it the fastest way to find stray cats on my citrus trees. The trees are big...about 12 feet high by the same wide...so it's much easier for me to run my hand over the branches...and gently shake up the branches...once I get a whiff of a cat...I can quickly pinpoint its location :o)
I handle the cats to move them onto new leaves when I'm cleaning out their cages...most times they are quite passive and aren't bothered by me moving them. So they rarely extend their osmetrium. Maybe they are used to it...or so long as they have fresh food they are content.
~ Cat