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Haley Maddox

Field cards · Butterflies

Haley's caterpillar cards

Butterflies and moths, the way you'll find them in the garden: as caterpillars. Who's eating what, and what they turn into.

14cards
6butterflies
3skippers
5moths
I raiseMonarch
Life cycleHow they changeThe four stages they all share, what each caterpillar eats (specialist or generalist), and the five ways they pupate.See how they change →

Cards

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Monarch first, then A to Z, each matched to the host plants in my garden. Tap “Grow” to see what each caterpillar becomes, plus sizes, food, and sources.

Show
Monarch caterpillar, 5th instar: black, yellow and white bands with long front filamentsMonarch butterfly, wings open

Monarch Danaus plexippus

ButterflyMilkweed hostI raise these

Look for Black, yellow, and white bands; long front filaments, shorter rear ones

Black swallowtail caterpillar: green with black bands and yellow spots, orange osmeterium raisedBlack swallowtail butterfly: black wings with yellow spot rows, blue patches and red eyespots

Black swallowtail Papilio polyxenes

ButterflyCarrot-family host

Look for Green with a black band and yellow spots on each segment

Clouded sulphur caterpillar: slender, green, with a white side stripe and a rosy lineClouded sulphur butterfly perched, yellow wings

Clouded sulphur Colias philodice

ButterflyPea-family host

Look for Slender and green, a darker line down the back, a white side stripe with a rosy line through it

Eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillar: bright green with two large fake eyespots behind the headEastern tiger swallowtail, male: yellow wings with black tiger stripes, black borders and tails

Eastern tiger swallowtail Papilio glaucus

ButterflyTree host

Look for Bright green, with two big fake eyespots on the swollen front end, just behind the head.

Fiery skipper caterpillar: tan-brown with tiny dots, a dark line down the back, a big dark head with two pale lines and a white-ringed collarFiery skipper, male: orange wings with a jagged dark edge

Fiery skipper Hylephila phyleus

SkipperGrass host

Look for Brown or tan with tiny brown dots and a dark line down the back. A big, very dark head with two tan or reddish lines on the face, and a collar ringed in white and black.

Great spangled fritillary caterpillar: velvety black with black spines that are yellowish orange at the baseGreat spangled fritillary: large rusty orange butterfly with black spots and chevrons and dark brown wing bases

Great spangled fritillary Speyeria cybele

ButterflyViolet host

Look for Black, with black spines that are yellowish orange at the base. Look on violets in spring.

Hummingbird clearwing caterpillar: a green hornworm with a horn at the rearHummingbird clearwing moth: mostly clear wings with a dark rusty border and a furry olive body with a reddish-brown band

Hummingbird clearwing Hemaris thysbe

MothShrub host

Look for A green hornworm with a horn at the rear end

Milkweed tussock moth caterpillar covered in tufts of black, orange, and white hairsMilkweed tussock moth: plain gray wings and a hairy yellow-orange abdomen dotted with black

Milkweed tussock moth Euchaetes egle

MothMilkweed host

Look for Dense tufts of black, orange, and white hairs, from the 3rd instar on

Raspberry crown borer caterpillar: a stout off-white to pinkish grub with a tan headRaspberry crown borer moth: clear wings edged in dark brown and a black body with narrow yellow bands, like a yellowjacket

Raspberry crown borer Pennisetia marginata

MothBramble host

Look for Wilted cane tips bent into a shepherd's hook; the grub itself stays hidden inside

Sachem caterpillar: greenish brown with a pale line down the back, a black head with two short pale lines and a white-ringed black collarSachem, male: tawny orange with wide dark borders and a big black patch

Sachem Atalopedes campestris

SkipperGrass host

Look for Greenish brown with a pale line down the back. A black head with two short pale lines on the face, and a black collar with a thin white ring.

Silver-spotted skipper caterpillar: plain yellow-green body, narrow neck, big reddish-brown head with two orange eyespotsSilver-spotted skipper perched, showing the silver-white patch under the hind wing

Silver-spotted skipper Epargyreus clarus

SkipperLegume host

Look for Plain bright yellow-green body, a narrow neck, and a big reddish-brown head with two orange eyespots

Tomato fruitworm caterpillar: green with dark and light stripes running lengthwise and a brown headTomato fruitworm moth: pale tan to brown forewings with a dark spot, and pale hindwings with a dark band at the edge

Tomato fruitworm Helicoverpa zea

MothTomato-family host

Look for Green, brown, pink, or nearly black, with light and dark stripes running lengthwise

Tomato hornworm: pale green with white V marks and a blue-black horn

Tomato hornworm Manduca quinquemaculata

MothTomato-family host

Look for Pale green, eight white V marks on each side, a straight blue-black horn at the rear

Variegated fritillary caterpillar: reddish orange with white-dash stripes, black branched spines and two long horns on the headVariegated fritillary butterfly: tawny orange with dark veins and black spots

Variegated fritillary Euptoieta claudia

ButterflyViolet host

Look for Reddish orange with stripes of white dashes and black dots, black branched spines, two long black horns on the head