Papilio indra minori Second Instar Caterpillar

Papilio indra first and second instar larvae rest up-side-down near where the egg was laid; usually on peripheral stalks near rocks or pointing away from the direction of the rest of the stalks.

Papilio indra minori Fourth Instar Caterpillar

Fourth instar mesa rim cliff swallowtail resting at the base of its larval host plant Lomatium junceum.

Papilio indra kaibabensis Fifth Instar Caterpillars

Four fifth instar indra swallowtail caterpillars resting both on and off of lab host Cympopterus terebinthinus.  It is very common for indra swallowtail last instar larvae to sun themselves away from their larval host plant.  Photo courtesy Wayne Whaley. 

Papilio indra calcicola Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Larva resting towards the base of lab host Lomatium parryi.

Thessalia leanira alma Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Leanira checkerspot fifth instar caterpillar resting on flowers of indian paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa.)  There are varieties of checkerspot butterflies where the late instars prefer to rest up to a few feet away from their larval host plant.

Thessalia leanira alma Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Euphydryas anicia wheeleri Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Anicia checkerspot late instar caterpillars sometimes will rest off the plant or on dead sticks adjacent to the plant.  If you are looking for post-diapause checkerspot larvae and find feeding damage, always look on dead plant stalks near the host plant.

Parnassius smintheus sayi Fifth Instar Caterpillar

Larva feeding on stonecrop (Sedum lanceolata).  Although this caterpillar is feeding on its hostplant, it is very common to find larvae sunning themselves on nearby rocks or on the ground adjacent to its hostplant.

Euphydryas anicia wecoeut Fifth Instars Resting

Euphydryas anicia wecoeut last instars resting in the center of P. indra minori host Lomatium junceum.  (There also are shorter plants of Castilleja chromosa nearby.)  Photo taken 20 Apr 2010; south of the San Rafael River Bridge in Emery County, Utah.

Poladryas arachne Post Diapause Caterpillars

Post-diapause arachne checkerspot caterpillars resting above and below plant debris of larval host Penstemon spp. (bearded tongue.)