I found this eye-catching caterpillar after cleaning up the garden. It was walking aimlessly over the pruning debris, so I rescued it and placed it in a safe container with some plant samples, as I didn't know which one it was feeding on.
I had never seen anything like it either in person or in images, and since it showed no interest in any of the plants offered, I began researching the species and its habits. It turns out that Erinnyis ellos are great devourers of Cassava leaves. but there was no trace of it in the yard. That's when I started to research the plant's scientific classification, and found out that Cassava belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, to which several other very familiar plants belong, including the Poinsettia - and I was sure I had seen it somewhere in the garden. Unfortunately, the bush had already been removed, and the only solution was to wander through the nearby streets and gardens, asking the neighbours if they happened to have this plant available.
Fortunately, I managed to get some leaves and offered them to the stunning green critter with intriguing details. The incredibly deep, dark, void black "Eye of Thundera" on its back is out of this world!
To my peace of mind, it found the meal delicious and continued to feed voraciously on it for several days afterwards, until it joined two of the smallest leaves itself to create a nest, where it "fell asleep".
Seventeen days later it was reborn, full, healthy and eager to fly.
