Miss Sherry, you answered a puzzle that had me curious. I had also noticed the color differences in my GF cats but just chalked it up to individual variations. I never thought about seasonal variation in caterpillar coloring. It makes sense, though. After all, a number of butterflies have seasonal patterns in their adult form... winter vs. summer form Question Marks, Dainty Sulphurs, etc. So it would stand to reason that caterpillars could do the same. Thanks for the lesson! Megan :)

Are you sure the ants are getting them? It's normal for a small percentage of hatchlings to die from natural causes. The tiny little ants you see on passionvines are there for the nectar in the nectar glands, those little bumps you see close to the leaf, or sometimes close to the flower, depending on the type of passionvine it is. In my garden, cats are in more dangers from predators when they get a little size on them, although gulf frits aren't normally taken by predators at all, except in the chrysalid state - I have seen some of those get eaten by ants. I bring my GFs in when they're big enough they can't get through the tiny openings in the mesh that covers my cages, and I keep them there until they emerge as adults - I released a gorgeous male a few hours ago. MissSherry

Susan, I found the cat on a cloudy day, so it occurred to me that maybe it stayed hidden when the sun was out - the passionvines it was on are real thick, and it could have easily hidden there. I brought it in to raise myself in one of the cages on my covered and always shady porch, so there was no sunlight there. I've put it in sunlight to make its picture a few times, but it was late in the afternoon, and I didn't keep it out for long, so I really don't know if it's light sensitive, but I suspect it is. It's been eating a lot today, so it'll probably molt one more time, them pupate. Of course, gulf frits don't stay in their chrysalis very long, so it shouldn't be too long before I get a butterfly. I'll post another picture of it, if it changes after the next molt. Sherry

Awe I've been looking for these caterpillars but I don't live in your area I hope you have good luck with them