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green and black caterpillar (White-lined Sphinx caterpillar)

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White-lined Sphinx caterpillar
by: Moni

Dolores
Your photo is of a white-lined sphinx moth caterpillar. Caterpillars of this moth do vary greatly in color, but like most sphinx caterpillars they have an orange 'horn' or tail on the rear end.
The moths look a little like hummingbirds as they fly from flower to flower gathering nectar. The straw like mouthparts are long tubes for sucking up nectar...it is fun to see them do so. This particular sphinx moth does fly during the day as well as at night.

While the moths do feed on nectar the caterpillars feed on a wide variety of plants like purslane, primrose, and plants in the rose family. They are not considered a pest of any crop.
This insect is found all over North America, Central America as well as Eurasia and Africa.

Here are photos of the moth and range of caterpillar colors. http://bugguide.net/node/view/3071/bgimage


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