The polydamas, “gold rim” swallowtail butterflies have had a phenomenal year in the butterfly garden so far this year.
There were a few days I didn’t have an opportunity to walk through the garden and by the third day, wow. My birthwort plant is crawling with a couple dozen polydamas caterpillars feasting away on its host plant.
It’s fun to watch these guys grow. When they are smaller they stay together in a pack, but eventually spread out as they get bigger.
The polydamas swallowtail chrysalis, I think, is very unique. The color often times depends on where they create it, as they can either be green, or brown.
The first one is well hidden in my Bahama cassia tree, resembling the color of a leaf. The last few photos are residing in my butterfly house and are brown, similar to the color of the branch.
It will be interesting to see how long before the butterflies emerge. The last batch overwintered, which was fascinating because I live in Southwest Florida where the temps usually do not turn too extreme.
I love watching the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars. The stages they go through and the size they become is fascinating. There are probably two dozen caterpillars on the birthwort eating.
The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length.
The polydamas swallowtail caterpillar population has exploded in the garden. I watched the polydamas swallowtail lay eggs on my birthwort, which is now crawling with tons of caterpillars.
The polydamas swallowtail caterpillars feed in groups when they are small, devouring the youngest leaves, as well as flowers before moving onto the older portions of the plant.
The caterpillar will go through four instars, 19 to 24 days, before it’s ready to form its chrysalis. The colors of the caterpillars are a bit different during the first instar, with tan and small tubercles. Once the caterpillar molts into the second instar, they become dark brown with larger tubercles.
They have a black head, prothorax top is orange and short dark stripes. Once the caterpillars enter the third instar, the caterpillar becomes smoother with a glossy appearance.
The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length
My garden has become my favorite place to be again with all of the work that has been done and still underway.
With the lack of rain, and the extreme dry conditions, I have taken to watering the garden almost nightly as I replanted a good amount of plants. The great part is all the repoted/moved plants are thriving.
While watering I spotted a few chunky pokydamas swallowtail caterpillars either resting, or munching away. They are definitely getting closer to the final instar where they will stop eating and make their chrysalis.
I always heard the saying, “plant them and they will come.” Gardening, well butterfly gardening, is truly rewarding and thrilling, as you can invite all kinds of species into your garden and watch their lifecycle unfold before your eyes.
