Munching in the garden

I’ve found three Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillers munching on the Queen Anne’s Lace that’s appeared spontaneously in my yard/garden. This one was going after a large (4-5 inch diameter) bloom. Over the rest of the day, it made the entire bloom disappear…! The caterpillar also came close to doubling in size. A couple of days later, I watched it find a spot to pupate. So I get to watch that for the next few days. (7D2, 100-400 @ 321mm, 1/500 s, f/16, iso 800, tripod) Contrary to my “usual” this is a single shot view. :laughing:

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Very exciting to have this going on so conveniently. I like the up from under angle and the caterpillar’s pose is an elegant touch. I like the limited plane of focus and the gentle fade to the smooth background.

Lucky you to have this right under your nose, Mark. You’ve captured the “greed” of the caterpillar with its pose. Maybe you’ll catch it eclosing later, which will lead to some interesting shots (even a video?).

Wow, that is one voracious critter. It always amazes me how much caterpillars can eat, and how quickly. Excellent details and a fun composition.

Oh wow Mark, what a shot, and the story to go with it. Hard to believe he could wolf all that down in a day, and double in size! Single shot was all that you needed here.

Wonderful shot and very interesting information – how can anything grow that fast? The insect world’s sumo wrestler??

Hi Mark,

I like the pose–reminds me of the critters in the Japanese horror flicks. Very crisp and I like this one as presented…Jim