Caterpillars in the Field and Garden: A Field Guide to the Butterfly Caterpillars of North America (The Butterflies Through Binoculars Series)

241 Pages·2005·30.34 MB·English

by  Thomas J. Allen

CATERPILLARS IN THE
FIELD AND GARDEN
Field Guide Series
edited by Jeffrey Glassberg
Butterflies through Binoculars: The Boston-
New York-Washington Region
by Jeffrey Glassberg
Butterflies through Binoculars: The East
by Jeffrey Glassberg
Butterflies through Binoculars: Florida
by Jeffrey Glassberg, Marc C. Minno, and John V Calhoun
Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to
Dragonflies of North America, north of Mexico
by Sidney W. Dunkle
Butterflies through Binoculars: The West
by Jeffrey Glassberg
Caterpillars in the Field and Garden: A Field Guide to the Butterfly
Caterpillars of North America
by Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock, and Jeffrey Glassberg
CATERPILLARS IN THE
FIELD AND GARDEN
A FIELD GUIDE TO THE
BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS
OF NORTH AMERICA
Thomas J. Allen,
Jim R Brock, and
Jeffrey Glassberg
OXTORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
2005
OXPORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Copyright © 2005 by Glassberg Publications
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Allen, Thomas, J., 1940-
Caterpillars in the field and garden : a field guide to butterfly caterpillars of North America /
by Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock, and Jeffrey Glassberg.
p. cm. — (Butterflies [and others] through binoculars field guide series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-518371-9 (cl)
ISBN-10: 0-19-518371-1 (cl)
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-514987-6 (pbk)
ISBN-10: 0-19-514987-4 (pbk)
1. Caterpillars—North America—Identification.
2. Caterpillars—North America—Pictorial works.
I. Brock, James P. II. Glassberg, Jeffrey. III. Title. IV Butterflies through binoculars series.
QL548.A442004 595.78'139'097—dc22 2003057958
9 8 7 6 5 4 32
Printed in China
on acid-free paper
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
INTRODUCTION 7
DISTINGUISHING BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS FROM 2
MOTH CATERPILLARS
HOW TO FIND BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS 3
IDENTIFYING CATERPILLARS 6
BUTTERFLY BIOLOGY 12
BUTTERFLY GARDENING 17
RAISING BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS 21
CONSERVATION 21
ABOUT THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS 23
PARTS OF A CATERPILLAR 26
RANGE MAP COLORS AND INFORMATION 27
SPECIES ACCOUNTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
SWALLOWTAILS 28
WHITES AND YELLOWS 36
Whites 36
Yellows 40
GOSSAMER-WINGS 48
Harvester 48
Coppers 48
Hairstreaks 52
Blues 66
METALMARKS 74
BRUSHFOOTS 78
Snout and Heliconians 78
Fritillaries 80
Patches, Checkerspots, and Crescents 84
w • CONTENTS
True Brushfoots 94
Admirals and Relatives 100
Leafwings and Emperors 104
Satyrs 106
Monarchs 772
SKIPPERS 774
Firetips and Spread-wing Skippers 774
Skipperlings and Grass-Skippers 128
Giant-Skippers 750
MOTHS 752
Supplementary Text 155
Photo Locations and Credits 177
Organizations Concerned with Butterflies 193
Glossary 194
Selected Bibliography 196
Food plant Scientific Name Index 197
Caterpillar Index 220
Acknowledgments
THIS GUIDE is not just the work of its authors. Many people played a ma-
jor role in its development, and without their efforts this book would not
be as comprehensive. Some helped with the loan of their personal images
of various species to complete the major genera. Others provided live mate-
rial in the form of eggs, caterpillars, or adults to be reared or photographed.
Still others reviewed sections of the manuscript, adding valuable comments
and information to help make the guide more complete and accurate. We
are indebted to all these folks and thank each one individually for their
contribution.
We are grateful to the following people for the loan of caterpillar images:
Greg Ballmer, Susan S. Borkin, Rick and Nora Bowers, Thomas Emmel,
John Emmel, Jeffery Fengler, Eve and Rob Gill, Jack Harry, Richard Heitz-
man, Gabriela Jimenez, Marc Minno, Diane Pierce, Steven Prchal, John
Rawlins, Jane Ruffin, Jorge Soberon, Steve Spomer, Jennifer Szymanski,
Dave Wagner, Keith Wolfe, Jacque Wolfe, and Dave Wright.
Many people contributed their time and homes to assist us in finding
caterpillars in the field, while others provided various species in the form
of eggs, caterpillars, and on occasion adults for us to photograph. With-
out their assistance, we could not have obtained all the species included in
this guide. Warm thanks go to: Andrew Brand, Tom Carr, Chris Conlin,
Michael Delasantro, Pete Haggard, Ken Hansen, Jack Harry, Paulette
Haywood, Steve Kohler, Merv Larson, Douglas Mullins, Mike Nelson, Troy
Pabst, Shawn and Joe Patterson, Steven Prchal, Mike Quinn, James Reiser,
Kilian Roever, Andres and Pilar Sada, Dale Schweitzer, Jeffery Slotten, the
late Mike Smith, Noel Snyder, Steve Sommerfeld, Todd Stout, Mike Tho-
mas, Monty Volouski, Dave Wagner, Reginald Webster, Keith Wolfe, Jacque
Wolfe, and Dave Wright. A special thanks to Richard Boscoe, who helped
viii • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
locate many eastern species for photography, while Ken Hansen led us t|)
many western and arctic species.
We owe a special debt to those who reviewed sections of the guide, mak-
ing valuable additions and corrections, especially to Keith Wolfe for his
review of the Swallowtails, Whites and Sulphurs and the Brushfoots.
Lastly, we wish to thank our wives for their patience and understanding
while we chased after caterpillars and filled our houses with rearing con-
tainers over a period of a few years.
A complete credit listing of species, locality, and contributors, can be
found in the appendix.
Introduction
WHEN ALICE VISITED WONDERLAND, she spoke with the hookah-smoking
Caterpillar. "When you have to turn into a chrysalis—you will some day,
you know—and then after that into a butterfly, I should think you'll feel it
a little queer." "Not a bit" said the Caterpillar, who then told Alice how she
could adjust to the new experiences of Wonderland by controlling her size.
Alice used the Caterpillar's advice to navigate the incredible world of Won-
derland. Now, you too can enter a magical world that takes place at a differ-
ent scale and that follows rules different from those of the everyday world
in which you live—the world of caterpillars!
Most people love adult butterflies. Butterflies have been admired, praised,
and revered for centuries. Moreover, their popularity continues to rise as
ever greater numbers of people turn to butterfly watching and butterfly
gardening as ways of interacting with the natural world and relieving some
of the stresses of modern life.
But many people's attitude toward caterpillars—the early stages of but-
terflies (and moths)—is ambivalent, at best. "Aren't caterpillars those worm-
like creatures that are eating all the plants in my garden?" they might say.
Well, the answers are yes and yes. Yes, although not related at all, caterpil-
lars are shaped somewhat like worms, but most of them are not so long
and slender, and many are quite beautiful. And yes, they are eating all the
plants in your garden. But here we need to make a subtle distinction. Over-
whelmingly, the caterpillars that are eating your everyday garden plants
and making pests of themselves are caterpillars that become adult moths.
In contrast, butterfly caterpillars will turn up their noses at your roses, your
rosemary, and your rhododendrons. If you have caterpillars tasting your
tomatoes or your corn, they are moth caterpillars, not butterflies. Few but-
terfly caterpillars eat standard garden plants and even fewer become gar-
den pests. Unlike moths, most butterfly caterpillars do not strip foodplants