By Mary Reid Barrow

Photos by Sharon Ross

When you see this cute little spicebush caterpillar and watch Sharon Ross’s video below, you might not be able to keep yourself from planting a spicebush this fall!.

The spicebush is the host plant for these greenish caterpillars with the great big eye spots.  Their real eyes are underneath where their mouths are.

The caterpillars roll up in the spicebush leaves during the day to protect themselves from birds and other predators.  To take a peek, Sharon could easily “unroll” the caterpillars which emerge all on their own from their leafy abodes at night to dine on the spicy foliage.

A spicebush has pale yellow flowers in early spring and the female plant bears tiny red aromatic fruits that are food for the birds.  Plant it in sun to part shade in moist sandy soils where it has room to grow from 6 to 12 feet.

A few days after Sharon’s photo sessions, she reported the the caterpillars turned a pale yellowish-white and the next day they were gone.

All signs point to the fact that the caterpillars had moved to a sturdy branch where they would spin their chrysalises.  Within a couple of weeks, beautiful spicebush swallowtails with white spots along the wing edges and pale blue lower wings should emerge to brighten Sharon’s garden and her day!

Plant a spice bush and you’ll not only have the fun of cute spicebush caterpillars and beautiful butterflies, but also blooms in the spring and in the fall, pretty yellow foliage, as well as red berries (on the females)!