Butterflies and Caterpillars of Note

Summer of '08 has brought many close encounters with caterpillars and butterflies; here's a sampling.

Common Ringlet on daisy.

Mourning Cloak caterpillar. These caterpillars are "gregarious throughout development," sayeth my field guide.

Death of an unknown caterpillar.

Voracious Black Swallowtail caterpillar chowing down on fennel before being relocated to the more abundant dill patch.

Black Swallowtail.


Unidentified caterpillar.

Monarch caterpillar on milkweed leaf.

Shimmering remains of Common Wood-Nymph.

Some kind of Sulpher...

Unidentified caterpillar.

Black Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail enjoying sunflower.

If you've made it this far, you're ready for a little game. Check out the first pic below and test your critter-finding skills. Click on the photo for a larger version—see anything unusual?
If you looked carefully, you might have noticed this fellow (or gal). A great example of cryptic coloration (camouflage). A fine example, also, of how an eye-spot can present a scary-looking, don't-eat-me message to potential predators (that's not the caterpillar's actual eye). As you can see, the caterpillar has begun building its cocoon.This is the larval form of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, pictured earlier on the sunflower.

For what it's worth, my preferred field guides for this genre are Caterpillars in the Field and Garden (Allen, et al.) and Butterflies Through Binoculars—The East (Glassberg).