New Intern
Well, not really. This little guy can't push the keys on a keyboard. I went out for a 4 mile jog yesterday and on the way out I spotted the work of a Papilio troilus caterpillar on some sassafrass. On the way back in, I pulled a bunch of branches and now have it in my office. It looks like it's at the tail end of the first instar and is ready to shed:
I used to collect and raise lepidoptera when I was younger and got really good at spotting certain species. P. troilus (or spicebush swallowtail) has a particular eating/resting pattern that is nigh invisible to inexperienced eyes, but once you know the pattern, it makes it easy to find. This larva is really only 8 mm long, which is nice because it means that there's a very high probability that it has no parasites. I'll help raise it to adulthood and let it go. Watch this space for progress.