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Haley Maddox
Field cardsInsects

Haley's caterpillar cards

Who's eating what in the garden, how to tell them apart, and what they turn into.

9cards
4butterflies
3skippers
2moths
I raiseMonarch
Coll. Haley MaddoxOct 2026

Monarch life cycle

The monarchs I raise, from egg to butterfly. Each stage shows the marks that tell it from the next. Icons grow relative to each other, not to true size.

Tap a stage

Monarch egg on a leaf

Egg1.2 × 0.9 mmStage 1 of 9

Cream, taller than wide, with lengthwise ridges. Laid one at a time under a leaf near the top of the milkweed. The dark head shows through just before it hatches, about 4 days in.

Sizes, timing and traits: Monarch Joint Venture. Egg and chrysalis appearance: Monarch Watch and Florida Museum. Adult size and marks: Missouri Dept. of Conservation; lifespan and mating: Monarch Joint Venture. J-hang: Monarch Joint Venture and University of Maryland Extension.

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.

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

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 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