Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
Saturday, 2023-01-21
Here's my entry for the #monomad challenge.
One of the plants we grow on the front porch is a lime tree, but this is not to be mistaken with the type of lime used for a drink (Key lime). We call this type of lime Jeruk Limau (Citrus amblycarpa) which is used to add aroma to traditional dishes and to make sambal (chili). The fruit is slightly smaller than Key lime, thick and a little wrinkled skin, and fragrant. The fruit color is dark green when still young and slowly turns yellow.
Picking some jeruk limau to make sambal. Notice the damaged nibbled leaves.
The other day my wife wanted to pick some lime for her cooking and spotted a green caterpillar chewing and gnawing the lime tree leaves. I happened to be nearby, and she beckoned and asked to get my phone for some macro shot practice.
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This green caterpillar is called the tiger swallowtail. At first glance, it looked like it had 2 big eyes near the front of the body. Closer observation revealed those 2 eyes were fake, purely for protection purposes. My wife also pointed out that the host plant of this particular type of caterpillar is a lime tree. When she picked it up, a reddish two-pronged organ popped out and emitted some citrus odor. I think it's another protection mechanism when threatened.
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I have seen them so many times before in our garden, but I never spent time or paid much attention to them. This time while practicing some macro shots I had the opportunity to get closer and spent more time with them. I noticed a hairy, brownish creature emerges from the green body.
Guess what! We also found an egg that will soon hatch.
Taking macro shots is not as easy as I thought. It was quite windy when I took these pictures. The leaves were moving from the wind, the caterpillar was wriggling and the challenge of holding the camera steady and a lot of breath holding were all part of the fun and challenge. Hope you like them.
Thank you for reading and for your support.
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A baby boomer who's trying to embrace and adapt to the new digital world. Worked for over 30 years in the IT industry before retiring and now run an online vegetable delivery and hydroponics equipment business. Enjoy traveling, cooking, writing, playing pool, and all IT-related stuff. You're always welcome to leave a comment or feedback, and an upvote or reblog is also greatly appreciated. |