It was nagging at me; what was that black and yellow caterpillar in the Cassia tree? Thank you Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants for the positive identification: it’s a future Cloudless Sulphur butterfly. This is probably one of the cooler caterpillar varieties. Their diet dictates their color. Mine was obviously feasting on the yellow flowers of the Cassia tree. The leaves would have made him green. Stephanie Sanchez has amazing photos of the contrast on her site, http://butterflies.heuristron.net/.
http://butterflies.heuristron.net/butterflies/orangeBarOrCloudlessCaterpillar.html
The photos are fantastic, and Sanchez is a fellow Floridian. Her website is a good resource for identification with over 30 caterpillars and over 40 butterflies represented. This is another one of her photographs of a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly.
http://butterflies.heuristron.net/butterflies/cloudlessSulphur.html
Minno, M.C., Butler, J.F. & Hall, W.H. (2005). Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
Saw your site on barred suphur caterpillar…very nice. I found an injured one being so cold here. Watched it as a caterpillar, produce a pulpae on a cactus
plant which I thought was weird. Hatched…found on the ground…now in the house..cannot fly. feeding it sugar water, is that ok.
Your pictures are the best I have seen. Keep up the good work.
Sugar water is great for butterflies. I’ve seen them feed on Gatorade-soaked Q-tips. You may also want to put out a dish of plain water, but fill it with some sand and stones. They don’t drink straight water. Good luck!