Saturday, August 28, 2010

Papilio canadensis - Time for a Break from Politics






Our neighbor called us to see this strange bug he'd found. 

The closest thing I could think of was a tomato worm, but this was much smaller and didn't have the horns.

The fake eyes, with eye brows even, give it a really strange appearance and makes that section look like the head. 









I suspect the head is really that little fuzzy thing in front.




I checked with the Cooperative Extension and they suggested it was

Papilio canadensis -the caterpillar of the Canadian Tiger Swallow Tail.   With a name, I could check on line.  This appears to be what it is, though the ones I saw online were bright green and this is more brown.  Perhaps it's at a different stage of its life.  The 'eyes' are right and the ones online also have dots along the back of the 'neck.'  And they live in Alaska and they eat birch and aspen among other leaves.





18 comments:

  1. such a cool picture..caterpillars are fascinating when you get really close

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  2. Last frame looks a bit like a pug! Never did find those dogs attractive, but as a caterpillar, it seems to work for me.

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  3. A friend of mine found one in her pool in centralOhio. I have never seen this before and wonder if they are native to Alaska, how did this one show up in central Ohio

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  4. i dont know i just found one in ky and didnt know what it was

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  5. i found one in ny i had no clue what it was

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  6. Cool. I was the same. Hope it didn't take to long to find your answer here.

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  7. New J and North C and Alaska, that's a wide range. But that's good if it has lots of places where it can survive. They're pretty neat.

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  8. My 3 yr old son found one at the park today here in NJ. This little bug is freaky looking.

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  9. Cool, Missie. They're neat aren't they?

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  10. Found one in Mayrland. How do I or can I attach a pic?

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  11. Maryland, don't think you can put a picture in the comment but if you email me I can post it. Keep the image small (under 100kb) and it will be fine.

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  12. I just found one in Amherst NY. Very cool looking and it sticks its tongue out.

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