At first I thought the grackles had paused on my potted lemon tree on their way to roost in the HEB supermarket parking lot. Those pesky birds had deposited a couple of yucky blobs on the leaves.
Then I saw a bizarre object on one of the stems. It looked like a rough, gray, stubby snake with a big head.
You guessed it! They are caterpillars, in two different stages of development. If all goes well, they will turn into giant swallowtail butterflies, which can have a wingspan of up to 6 inches. The caterpillars are called orange dogs because of their love of all kinds of citrus plants. If they feel threatened, they poke out a couple of horns that exude a bitter odor. I did not threaten them though. My husband relocated a couple of them to the lime tree and a rue plant.
Giant swallowtail butterflies feed on the nectar of lantana flowers, which we have in abundance. So watch this space--if I can get some photos of these beauties, I'll post them here!
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