This grand beauty, the giant swallowtail, hatched in our butterfly house this morning, 22 days after creating its chrysalis. It is one of the largest butterflies in the United States, alongside the tiger swallowtail and the Thoas swallowtail, found in Texas.

According to the University of Florida its forewing span is 11.7 to 17.5 cm for males and 13.5 to 18.8 cm for females. The author of “Florida’s Fabulous Butterflies,” Thomas C. Emmel, said the giant swallowtail has a broken pattern on the bottom of its wings to conceal them from predators.

This is among one of my favorite butterflies. Their wings are incredible, with their tails only adding to the beauty. I hope we find more caterpillars on our citrus tree to raise in our butterfly house. This is our second successful hatch!