A Tricky Disguise

Updated: Aug 17

One fine summer camp day, a camper spotted a strange creature crawling on their

backpack! At first, they thought it was an enamel pin, but soon realized it was a real, live

caterpillar. Campers thought it looked a little like a snake—which is exactly what this

caterpillar wants predators to think! They also thought it was adorable and wanted to

learn more.

The strange creature was a spicebush caterpillar, the larva of the Spicebush

Swallowtail butterfly. Adult butterflies are important pollinators, drinking nectar and

helping spread pollen between flowering plants. They are also food for birds and

dragonflies. This camp group’s home base happens to be near sassafras trees, one of

the caterpillar’s few host plants, along with spicebush.

This is a favorite caterpillar of our camp director, Sarah, because its life cycle is full of

amazing transformations. The adult butterfly lays eggs on the underside of spicebush or

sassafras leaves. Young caterpillars first look like bird poop, helping them avoid

predators. As they grow and molt, they change colors, eventually becoming bright green

and then yellow-orange with large eyespots. These aren’t real eyes, but they make the

caterpillar look like a snake—almost like a real-life Pokémon! Eventually, it forms a

chrysalis, which camouflages as a leaf: green in warm weather and brown later in the

season. Inside, it transforms into an adult butterfly.

We can help spicebush caterpillars and other pollinators by planting native trees,

shrubs, and flowers. Many caterpillars can only eat specific plants they evolved

alongside, called host plants. Without these plants, they cannot survive. Spicebush

and sassafras support spicebush caterpillars, just as milkweed supports Monarchs.

Some other helpful native plants include:

Planting the right native plants helps create habitat for pollinators throughout their entire life cycle.