Frequently Asked Questions About Insects - Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University

Frequently Asked Questions

Topic:	Caterpillars, rearing
Question:	My class found two caterpillars at our school. They were in the grass, so we do not know what they eat. We tried leaves from several of the trees around our school, but they do not seem interested. Do you have a suggestion? The caterpillars are black with red bumps. They have those things that look like antennae.
Answer:	It's hard to tell without a picture or specimen what kind of caterpillar you found, but the pipevine swallowtail is a possibility. The host plant can easily be mistaken for grass and is mixed with grass in the wild. Just keep trying different plants. Remember that they may be done feeding and ready to form a cocoon or chrysalis if a butterfly.
Related Link:	http://citybugs.tamu.edu/FastSheets/Ent-3002.html
Related Link:	http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg266.html
Image Link: **
Response by:	John A. Jackman
Title:	Professor and Extension Specialist
** Most of the Related Links above also contain images.