siam_cannas, Without a location all I can do is attempt a best guess. But I will assume North America someplace... Top one appears to be a Manduca, probably a rustica, but also possibly a dark form floristan (Sphingidae). The bottom one may be a Eueides isabella, or possibly a Heliconius ismeniius (Heliconiinae). Picture is not very clear so it could also be a subtropical Pieridae, Melitaeinae or Ithomiinae that strayed up from our southern border. If its either of the Heliconids the larval food plant is Passifloaceae. Too many plants to list for the other possibile families unless it is determined as one of them. Just a quick guess, but maybe it'll point you in the right direction. Larry

Hey everyone, there are actually 2 very very simular looking caterpillars and they both feed on Hackberry..: the first one is the TAWNY EMPEROR caterpillar: it is mostly green and has 2 wide yellow stripes on its uppersides and straight yellow bands on its lower sides.The adult has a wingspan of about 2.5 inches. the second one is the HACKBERRY BUTTERFLY caterpillar:it looks very much like the first one mentioned,but this one has yellowish V-markings along the sides,the narrow bands on upper sides are more narrow.The knobs on the head are usually longer than the ones from the Tawny Emperor. This Butterfly is with his 2 inches wingspan a lil smaller than the T.E. and also the colors are a lil lighter. The Hackberry Butterfly is more common.. Butterfly-Greetings Susanne(SUE) Hackberry Butterfly: http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg284.html Here is a link that might be useful: Tawny Emperor

Thanks! My sphinx cat "disappeared" today, and I found it underneath the paper towels and foam rubber. I offered it some more food, but it refused and kept wandering. I noticed that it was yellowish, the color that many sphinx and big silk moths turn before they make their pupa. Well, DUH, it finally occurred to me that that's just what my cat was trying to do, so I got a container, put some leaves in it plus the small glass jar with the stem of yaupon in it that it was eating, put the cat in it, and it proceeded to go under the leaves and I assume, pupate. So, obviously it couldn't be a rustic sphinx, it's not nearly big enough, and I think the horn color is wrong. I looked through the sphinx moths on Bill Oehlke's site, and the page on the pawpaw sphinx had a picture of a cat from North Carolina that looks just like mine. It listed pawpaw as a host, plus lots of hollies, like Ilex glabra, I. decidua and I. coriacea, all of which grow on my property - he didn't list I. vomitoria, but it's very much like I. decidua, just evergreen, not deciduous. The horn is purple or red and blue, like mine also. Interestingly, the pictures of adult pawpaw sphinx moths are variable in coloring, some reddish brown and others very dark brown/black. The website said that in Louisiana they have two generations, the last one being in September, so I guess that's what this one is, meaning that my cat should overwinter. I've linked the Bill Oehlke site. Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: PawPaw Sphinx

Yes, I put chrysalides and moth cocoons/pupae outside in winter so that, assuming temperatures influences emergence time, they'll emerge at the right time. I don't use much heat in winter, but my house is still warmer inside than outside, usually. Up north, I imagine it's much warmer inside than out. Of course, you'll need to put the container in a safe place where mice and/or other critters can't get to it. I notice that there's a black area on the caterpillar, also there's brown liquid around it. I'm hoping that the brown liquid is the purging the cat did before going to pupate and not a leak. If the caterpillar is leaking fluid from its body, it'll die. Good luck, let's hope everything's okay! Sherry