Battus philenor

 Say what?

Battus philenor.

Still unclear huh.

Me too.

OK then,

how about 

Pipevine Swallowtail?

Oh yeah, 

of course.

I found a really cool web site that helps

you identify caterpillars.  

It's at  www.discoverlife.org

and here's the link that takes 

you directly to the caterpillar identification page.

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Caterpillars

You select your answers 

for the body main color,

body main pattern,

distinct features,

and hair density.

Of course my answers

narrowed the types of 

caterpillars down to 175.

Oh my goodness.

From those names I recognized

Pipevine swallowtails

and clicked on the link.

There it was, my caterpillar answer. 

Although this wasn't the 

clearest photo of the caterpillar,

it does show the silk strands tying

the caterpillar to the umbrella fabric.

Back on his tail side, there's 

a patch of silk strands attaching his/her

body to the fabric.

I think it may have thought that this

was a good place to pupate.

Uh, no.

So I moved it with a dry leaf

 to a spot up the hillside.

See that lighter orange protrusion

from around the head area?

I'm sure it's a poison/defense gland

that came out when I got too close.

These caterpillars are poisonous

because of their diet of pipe vine

which grows wild here in the woods.

Here's another link on the Pipevine 

Swallowtails with interesting information

on these caterpillars.

 http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/pipevine_swallowtail.htm

The caterpillars are sort of mean looking

at this stage,

but look what they become.

These last four photos 

were taken last year and the year before.

We were gone this spring when 

the cherry tree was blooming.

 Way cool huh?

Thanks for the comments

about my photography on yesterdays post.

My camera is a Nikon D5000,

and it, along with Mother Nature,

are making me look like

a better photographer than I am.

But thanks for being so kind.

I'm thrilled to share my world with you.