Epsilons garden and the insects of inland CA

[coronabarb]

What the heck is that!!?? And those assassin bugs...I used to have those everywhere.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by epsilon

Found this guy today helping out my Gf's mother's friend.

I think this one is a western tiger Swallowtail. At first glance I thought it was a huge Bird crap

Definitely a swallowtail caterpillar. If it is on citrus, then it is most likely a giant swallowtail. Gorgeous, HUGE butterfly. It wont eat much!

Marsha

[epsilon]

I think you pegged it Marsha. We found it in a lemon tree that I was planting for her..... had I know I wouldn't have said anything, She went and stuck it in a jar to see if she could watch it do it's thing.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by epsilon

I think you pegged it Marsha. We found it in a lemon tree that I was planting for her..... had I know I wouldn't have said anything, She went and stuck it in a jar to see if she could watch it do it's thing.

Maybe you can encourage her to put it back on the tree.

Marsha

[coronabarb]

So what does the caterpillar eat? Not the citrus, does it?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by coronabarb

So what does the caterpillar eat? Not the citrus, does it?

Yes, it eats the citrus leaves. It doesn't hurt the plant, unless the plant is really young. Theres really not a large enough quantity of them usually on a given tree to deal a deadly blow to the tree. New leaves will grow back too.can you all remember when there was a citrus canker scare where all the southern counties in the state decided to cut down all the citrus trees they could find within a 1900 ft area of where they found an infected tree? They cut healthy ones down, even on private property. ( I came home one day to find my 5 citrus trees gone, even the stumps were ground and removed, because of the Canker Natzis) well during that time, there was almost a complete annihilation of these lovely swallowtail butterflies, their food source now gone. But I digress....
Here's a link to UF IFAS about the swallowtail butterfly.http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/...wallowtail.htm

[epsilon]

yep that very true. On that one tree there was just, the one(that I could spot) caterpillar. And I know I only ever see a handful of these every year. So it's not like the plethora of horn worms that are going to start popping up here in a short while.

[epsilon]

Found this guy in one of my seed starting trays last night while looking for gopher activity.