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Photo#217264
Caterpillar - Third View 8-23-08 - Eumorpha pandorus

Caterpillar - Third View 8-23-08 - Eumorpha pandorus
Greenville, Providence County, Rhode Island, USA
August 23, 2008

Images of this individual: tag all
Caterpillar - After I Moved It 8-23-08 - Eumorpha pandorus Caterpillar - what kind? - Eumorpha pandorus Caterpillar - Third View 8-23-08 - Eumorpha pandorus

The false eye is
Actually where a "horn" usually belongs. This is a hornworm, though don't panic - It turns into a very beautiful Sphinx moth. The Guide page for this moth, the Pandorus Sphinx, is here. You'll find that it loves almost any sort of vine, and especialy likes Grape.

 
The false eye is
Thank you Illia, you've helped me to learn a great deal about this caterpillar. My lingering concern is that perhaps I shouldn't have moved it. Maybe they "anchor" on the ground, near all the grapevines. I'm worried that, because I moved it, even just a few inches, some predator found it and snatched it up. Again, I went inside for 10 minutes at the most, came out and it was gone - no disturbed signs on the ground, just gone! Next time, I will leave it alone. I do this 99.99 % of the time. I thought all caterpillars needed a vertical item to anchor themselves to when pupating. I'm learning, hopefully not at the expense of this beautiful creature.

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