The Real-Life Caterpie: Meet the Spicebush Swallowtail

Picture this: you're walking through a forest, and you spot what looks like a real-life Pokémon hanging from a branch. Your eyes aren't deceiving you—there's an actual caterpillar that could pass for Caterpie, the beloved bug-type Pokémon from the original games.

The spicebush swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio troilus) is nature's version of Caterpie, and the resemblance is downright uncanny. Both sport that distinctive bright green body, those enormous circular "eyes" (called eyespots), and a chubby, segmented appearance that makes them look perpetually startled.

When Nature Predicts Pokémon

Here's the wild part: the spicebush swallowtail existed millions of years before Game Freak created Pokémon in 1996. While we can't say for certain that Caterpie was directly inspired by this specific caterpillar, the designers definitely took cues from real lepidopteran larvae when creating their bug-type starter.

The eyespots aren't actually eyes at all—they're a brilliant defense mechanism. These fake eyes make the tiny caterpillar look like a small snake or tree frog, scaring off birds and other predators that would otherwise see it as an easy snack.

The Real-Life Transformation

Just like Caterpie evolves in the games, the spicebush swallowtail undergoes its own dramatic transformation:

• Starts as a tiny brown egg on spicebush or sassafras leaves
• Hatches into a bird-dropping-looking larva (gross but effective camouflage)
• Molts into the green "Caterpie phase" with fake eyes
• Eventually turns dark brown or black before pupating
• Emerges as a stunning black and blue butterfly

The adult butterfly doesn't look anything like Butterfree, though—it's got gorgeous iridescent blue-green wings with orange spots that shimmer in sunlight.

Where to Spot Your Own Caterpie

These living Pokémon lookalikes are found throughout eastern North America, from southern Canada down to Florida and west to the Great Plains. Your best chance of finding one is between May and September, when they're actively munching on spicebush, sassafras, and tulip tree leaves.

They're surprisingly common in suburban gardens and parks—you don't need to trek deep into the wilderness. If you grow spicebush or have sassafras trees nearby, check the undersides of leaves during late summer.

Other Pokémon-Looking Caterpillars

The spicebush swallowtail isn't the only caterpillar that looks ripped from the Pokémon universe. The eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillar rocks a similar look with green skin and eyespots, while the saddleback caterpillar looks like something from a sci-fi movie with its bright green "saddle" and venomous spines.

Nature has been designing creative creature features for hundreds of millions of years—long before video games existed. These caterpillars prove that sometimes reality is just as fantastical as fiction, and the best character designs might already be crawling around in your backyard.