Don Alley
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caterpillar
From a plant at my place. There were two of these, and some bird droppings, on the plant. Until one looked closely, they all looked like bird
droppings. The orange thing at the head of the bug is retractable, like a tongue, but maybe antennae? The eyes appear to be below the orange thingy
(non-scientific terminology, lol) and the big bulge behind the head is not the head, it just mimics one, perhaps to make the insect look tougher. But the overall effect is a good camoflage mimicing bird droppings.
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windgrrl
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Amazing find, Don! What a beuatiful creature.
When the way comes to an end, then change. Having changed, you pass through.
~ I-Ching
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Don Alley
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bajajudy
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I could have done without the closeup but what a strange looking animal.
You just never know what might be crawling around your yard.
Since the rains of the summer there are more of these herbivores around. Some of my plants look like I pulled all the leaves off of them.
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vgabndo
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Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
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Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Nice camera Don, what kind is it?
We picked up an older Nikon 5000 and I'm looking forward to trying some macro work this trip.
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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DianaT
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Great pictures and really interesting little animal---sure glad it is so little. 
Thanks
Diane
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Taco de Baja
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Looks like a type of swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.
The swallowtail butterfly caterpillar that eats the fennel plant (Foeniculum vulgare) [has a licorice smell] have the same 'horns' that they
poke out and rub on you, or a predator, when they are picked up, smells rather nasty  . They also have a similar shape to the head and body
The fennel swallowtail caterpillars are colored very differently though. See image I added below.
| Quote: |
Like all swallowtail caterpillars, the larvae can extrude a bright orange forked,
fleshy organ called an osmeterium. This is kept within the body most of the
time and is sort of "inflated" when needed. It is connected to a scent gland that
produces a repellent odor to help ward off predators
link
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[Edited on 11-13-2006 by Taco de Baja]
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Taco de Baja
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It's a GIANT swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail, September 6, 2003, Hanc-ck, Washington Co., MD (C Lehman)
Link
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Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Santa Ana NWR, Hidalgo Co., TX 10/15/04.
This and Pipevine are the most common swallowtails in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
link
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This was written by a guy I work with!
| Quote: | OCCURRENCE OF THE GIANT SWALLOWTAIL (PAPILO CRESPHONTES) IN NORTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA
Richard A. Erickson (A, C), Marshall J. Iliff (B)
A. LSA Associates, 20 Executive Park, Suite 200, Irvine, CA 92614,
B. 246 East 16th Street, Unit B, Costa Mesa, CA 92627,
C. Correspondent: E-mail: richard.erickson(at)lsa-assoc.com
Abstract
Beginning in the 1960s, the familiar giant swallowtail (Papilo cresphontes) expanded its range into southern California from the east. From
1996 through 2003, at least 23 giant swallowtails were seen at 13 locations in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula, representing the
first records of this species in the Mexican state of Baja California.
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Article
[Edited on 11-13-2006 by Taco de Baja]
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Iflyfish
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Those are amazing pics!!! Wow! Keep em coming. Maybe need an entemology section for pics of critters.
I love the closeup.
Reminds me of Tennyson whom I will ill quote: Flower In a Crannied Wall
Flower in a crannied wall
I hold you in my hand
Were I to know you
All in all
Root and all
I would know
What God
and Man is.
Iflyfish
I would know
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Don Alley
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Good work on the giant swallowtail ID, folks!
The camera is a Pentax Optio water resistant 4.0 megapixels. I posted just one of the photos; the first is a reduced to fit version of the original,
the second is a cropped version.
It's a good year for butterflies, especially in the mountains south of La Paz. Astonishing numbers there.
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BajaWarrior
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Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
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Mood: Anxious to get south
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I found one of those (top picture) on my lemon tree here in San Diego while pruning it. I first thought it was a bird dropping until I knocked it off
and it began to move around. So, they seem to have a wide area of habitation.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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