Found on the fresh young leaves of Bitternut Hickory. Probably this the Hickory Hairstreak caterpillar, but since the larvae of the Banded Hairstreak also feed on hickory and look just about identical, I don't know which this is.
Now that is a "neat" caterpillar, and interesting. Is that an attendant ant? Interesting also that you've two hairstreak larvae the same. We've two hairsteak species, different genus to yours, in which the adults are identical but the larvae and attendant ants and host plants are different. Unsurprisingly, as one species has the name ictinus, the other is pseudictinus.
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