Thanks Michael. I continued to search with your answer and... well, got a bit lost between all those bugs, Lepidopteran, Symphytan, Coleopteran (I'm not very good at this). Then I asked the question on a usenet forum and someone suggested Acantholyda hierogliohica. Began to search again and found this page (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Acantholyda_hierogliohica) where there seems to be a match (the picture on the left is exactly what I found on the shoots). Another page which seems to confirm : http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=4544076. Olivier.

Wonder, Garden, and Norma..Thanks for your replies..lol You guys had me LOL'ing away..If the pillar was going to turn into a moth, it'd had been out on it's slinky butt that night, but it's going to be a non-native butterfly, so I feel bad tossing it outside in freezing temps. It's been 40's during the day, 20's at night. I am very upset about my, once beautiful, Crown of Thorns, and you guys are right, if it had/s babies or friends, that'd be the end of my plants. I'm not sure that particular Crown will make it..One of my fav succulents. Does anyone know if caterpillars are egg layers? It's living in the sink, surrounded by leaves and grass. Plus I've been misting leaves for moisture. My dh, (nut) suggested placing it in the gh..If I had a gun...lol..j/k.. We can't find information, especially about someone who lives in the midwest, keeping a caterpillar, indoors..lol. I found a site that displayed 600+ caterpillar pics, but none fit the bill. I discovered, the standard caterpillar is 1-2" long..this guy is nearing 4"..A 4" pillar is called a King. Some pillars have stingers, unlike a bee, wasp, etc..I can't recall which part of their body contains venom for protection..when someone or something brushes/touches them, the venom is absorbed through pores..it can cause mild irritation to extreme, some ppl have to seek medical attention..3 ppl picked/touched him/her, without harm, excluding myself..I lifted him w/a stick..lol. To top that off, yesterday, my dogs were in the yard. The smaller dog was licking something..I thought he took one of his stuffed animals outside..I approached, found he was licking a baby possum..the rodent was about 8", no mom or dad nearby..I hurriedly lifted my dog, brought in the house, and washed his mouth..Though we're not possum lovers, we felt sorry for this little guy..Later in the night, he was standing before the glass doors looking inside..it was strange!!! He/she wanted in..out of the cold, and dinner..of course we didn't adopt him, too..I hope he finds his mother. What next??? An elephant? lol Norma, I know how you feel about spiders, and respect your 'courage,' lol, but I'm arachnophobic..as for mealy, it's a matter of working with plants, cleaning areas and plants, inspection, etc.. Even seeing the tiniest spider, I'm a slam-dunking, Michael Jordon..lolol, running for dear life, w/o the pay. But seriously, does anyone have any idea where or how to keep the pillar? I don't want him eating my plants, but will spare leaves. Mainly foliage from large Pothos and cleaned outdoor grass. I cannot believe he ate leaves from a Euphorbia, a toxic plant, yet alive and well.. So far. Thanks for everyone's help..Toni

I've got Pyle's new book as well as another aimed at the PNW (can't recall title or author at moment and I lent it out). While they have great butterfly info, my complaint as a plants person is that host info is not as detailed as I'd like and there isn't an easy way to search for info on a specific plant. That said, Pyle's book has better host info than the second book. The study of relationships between butterflies and plants at the host level isn't researched to the extent of other areas of butterfly study (the same is true for the study of insect/plant relationships). I'll have to keep hunting for resources and have patience that more detailed information will come eventually.

TigerDawn - I just now reread your post about the chrysalis on a Daylily leaf. Most butterflies wander before pupating, empty their gut (purging), and then fasten themselves to something other than their host plant, to shed their skin a final time to reveal the chrysalis. Many larvae can navigate great distances before they finally find a spot to pupate. That's not to say they don't ever pupate on the host plant, but generally speaking, they do tend to go "walk-about" in the garden. OT - I'm growing about 10-12 Tomato plants, 5 peppers, several Okras (dwarf) in the ground, about 4 cukes, several squash (scallop, yellow, and Zuke), several bean varieties, a couple each of dwarf Watermelon, Canteloupe, and Pumpkin. Susan