 Though it is often valued in gardens for its striking appearance, its larval stage can be a serious pest to citrus farms, which has earned its caterpillars the names orange dog or orange puppy.The giant swallowtail caterpillars possess remarkable camouflage from predators by closely resembling bird droppings.They use this, along with their osmeteria, to defend against predators such as wasps, flies, and vertebrates.