This strange caterpillar was traversing the sidewalk in front of us so we stopped to marvel at how LARGE and STRANGE it was. When was got home I discovered it's the papilio rutulus - the larval form of the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly we've been trying to attract to our garden with nectar flowers. I'm not sure why it left its host plant, but I'm glad to have proof they're reproducing in Ballard. The photo below (from the internet) shows the swallowtail in the more attractive part of its life cycle.
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