Young caterpillars are black with white saddles, but mature into a bright green color layered with black stripes down the sides. The black swallowtail caterpillar is a species that changes color as it matures. Found in: Southern Canada, most of the eastern and midwestern United States west to the Rocky Mountains, and southwest into Arizona and northern Mexico.Turns into: Black swallowtail butterfly.Bonide Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew Garden DustĬommon types of green caterpillars Angle shades moth caterpillar.Safer Brand Bacillus Thuringiensis (B.t.) Concentrate for Caterpillars.Monterey Bacillus Thuringiensis (B.t.) for Organic Gardening.

Recommended products for caterpillar control: Related: Simple Visual Guide: 17 Types of Striped Caterpillars That May Be Eating Your Plantsįor ease of ID, the pictures and descriptions below are of mature caterpillars before they enter pupation. So besides appearance, consider the type of plant it’s crawling or feeding on to help you determine what kind of caterpillar is in your garden. Young caterpillars may be lighter in color or have different markings and other physical characteristics (such as stripes, spikes, or horns) than mature caterpillars, which often turn brown right before they pupate. When identifying a green caterpillar, it’s important to remember that caterpillars go through multiple molts and life stages (known as instars) and may not always look like the pictures below. Rustic sphinx moth caterpillar (hornworm)Ĭaterpillars are the larvae of various species of moths or butterflies.Rough prominent moth caterpillar (green oak caterpillar).Rosy maple caterpillar (green-striped mapleworm).Dragonhead caterpillar (dragon-headed caterpillar).Cabbage white caterpillar (imported cabbageworm).

Download green hornworm