Black Swallowtails

[Xzarloxara]

One of my prime interests in life is animals and nature, so I was very happy when a Black Swallowtail butterfly visited one of my dill plants and laid eggs on it this year. After waiting for them to hatch I took the caterpillars off the plant to protect them and raise them to adulthood. I will periodically post pictures here of their progress.

At first the caterpillars look a lot like bird droppings for camouflage. At this stage they are tiny, barely over 2mm long. They eat the leaves of dill, parsley, carrot, and similar plants exclusively. Here is the first picture I took.

After some time in that stage, they changed from camouflage colors to their warning colors. Black swallowtails assimilate toxins from their food plants which make them taste bad to predators, and they change color to warn potential predators of this. They are still quite small in the next image, about 2.5cm long, but they grow quickly.

Here are the next couple of pictures I took. As I said, they are growing rapidly.

Another defense these caterpillars have is a scent gland. It is pink in color and forked, looking very much like a snake tongue. It is normally kept hidden under the caterpillar's skin and only exposed when they feel threatened. It makes a sickly sweet smell that is supposed to deter predators (I like the smell though, to me it is very pleasant and fruity smelling). I tried to irritate them enough so I could get a picture of this gland, but apparently the caterpillars like me too much... I will post more pictures soon.

 

[Xzarloxara]

It is amazing how fast caterpillars can grow. They are now about 5cm long, and I expect they will pupate fairly soon. I have put a stick in their enclosure just in case they want to attach themselves to it, but there is no guarantee that they will use it as planned. I tried again to make them show their gland, but once again I guess I am too likable or something.

 

[m7600]

Very cool! I didn't know that it was possible to touch some species without getting stung! I remember that I when I was a kid, a caterpillar stung me, but it looked very different to these ones, so I'm sure that it was a different species.

 

[Xzarloxara]

Very cool! I didn't know that it was possible to touch some species without getting stung! I remember that I when I was a kid, a caterpillar stung me, but it looked very different to these ones, so I'm sure that it was a different species.

Well, most species have some kind of defense. These guys, as I said, have bad taste/poisonous body and that scent gland, and are camouflaged in their early stages. The bright colors on their body serve specifically as a warning about these defenses. A general rule of thumb in nature is that if something sticks out like a sore thumb with a lot of colors, it could very well be warning you about some dangerous defense or other. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, like with birds who use colors to attract mates, or in coral reefs where practically everything is colorful, but it applies in most places. Take bees/wasps, and dart frogs: those eye catching colors indicate a nasty surprise waiting for anyone who bothers them. As far as caterpillars go, I know the only ones in my area that can sting are also hairy or bristled. If I were to hazard a guess on the species that stung you, I would say it may have been this one: The saddleback caterpillar.

 

[m7600]

I remember that it had bristles like that one, but it was more green.

Also, is it just me, or does it look like that saddleback caterpillar has a Spiderman mask?

 

[Xzarloxara]

The caterpillars finally pupated a couple of weeks ago. I forget how long it takes them to mature in there, but it will either be later this year or early next year. Black swallowtails pupate by hanging on the underside of a twig or something supported by a strand of silk they run around their back; which is anchored to the twig. They are also anchored at the rear end of the pupa. It is important that they hang like this because, once they emerge, the butterfly needs to hang upside down so its wings harden properly. If the wings do not harden properly, the butterfly will be unable to fly.

 

[Xzarloxara]

Well, they just emerged today as adult butterflies. Once I got a few pictures and was sure their wings were ready, I released them outside.

 

[Antimatter]

I forget how long it takes them to mature in there, but it will either be later this year or early next year.

This happened so much earlier. Beautiful pics, thanks for sharing them! Also, so kind of you to release them.

 

[Xzarloxara]

This happened so much earlier. Beautiful pics, thanks for sharing them! Also, so kind of you to release them.

Yes, I sometimes have trouble remembering how long individual species stay in pupa form; especially for species I don't find very often. Some of them only take a few weeks, while others will "overwinter" and only emerge the next spring. I believe most butterflies only take a few weeks, while most moths will overwinter.

I release all my butterflies/moths once they reach maturity. I do not have the desire or resources to preserve and collect them (not that I have anything against those that do). Besides, it feels good to hope that they will make it in the wild and be able to make more caterpillars for me to find later.

 

[O_Bruce]

Thank you for sharing adorable pictures

 

[Balrog99]

Nice pictures! It struck me that the chrysalis of those little buggers look a lot like a bat hanging upside-down! Creepy but cute at the same time...