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Papilio polyxenes
This caterpillar has a special gland called an osmeterium that emits a foul odor when the caterpillar is threatened (I did not know at the time so I was not provoking her to get the gland out). The orange osmeterium looks like a forked snake tongue. Caterpillars also ingest oils from the host plants of the carrot family; the foul taste of the chemical in their bodies repels birds and other predators.
Piedras Blancas, CA.
1 Comment
A beautiful caterpillar....