Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio troilus), with false eyes on its back. When alarmed, the caterpillar pulled its head back and down, and caused the area behind its head to bulge up, making the false eyes look larger. In this photo, the caterpillar had slightly relaxed its defensive appearance. The caterpillar was about 1+3/8 inches (~3.5 cm) long. It moved quite quickly for a caterpillar. It was on a tree trunk beside the C&O Canal towpath, north of Harper's Ferry. The photo has been flipped vertically to make it easier to see the illusion of a mouth, under which the caterpillar's actual head is hiding. Breathing holes may be seen along the black line dividing the caterpillar's light tan underside from its yellow back. The color balance of the image may need to be adjusted to make the caterpillar slightly more yellow.
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