29 October 2012
Monday macrobug: parsleyworm
Posted by Callan
Look what I found while out weed-whacking in the yard:
(gloved fingers for scale)
That’s the larva of the black swallowtail butterfly. This good-looking caterpillar is colloquially known as a “parsleyworm.”
In these last two shots, check it out without and with the osmeteria (fleshy “horns” behind the head) everted in defense:
The osmeteria get to be about 3 times longer than that last shot, but I couldn’t photograph them in that fully extended state. As soon as they pop out, they begin to retract again.
Callan Bentley is an assistant professor of geology at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia. He is particularly interested in structural geology and the evolution of the Appalachian mountain belt. Callan draws cartoons and writes for EARTH magazine. He lives in the Fort Valley of Virginia.
