Category Archives: Polydamas swallowtail butterfly

Finally in the right place

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I have always wondered how a polydamas swallowtail has made its chrysalsis. I have read about the transformation, have seen the first step and the last step, but never the in-between until last night.

When the caterpillar is ready to enter its next stage it attaches a silk pad with its terminal prolegs, so it can hang from a silk girdle.

After the sun had gone down, the caterpillars started to do their dance as I was walking past the butterfly house. Another perk of having a butterfly garden, my husband’s beautiful creation of a butterfly house that has allowed countless viewings of the lifecycle.

I was so excited to witness the polydamas swallowtail make its chrysalis that I ran and grabbed my phone to record the incredible transformation.

It took more than 5 minutes for the caterpillar to complete the transformation. Check out the link below for the complete video on my Facebook page and be sure to follow for additional photographs and videos from the garden.

Unique

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The polydamas swallowtail caterpillar that I found yesterday is now in its chrysalis today.

My food source for them is almost gone and there are probably another two dozen if not more caterpillars in the garden. There’s probably a dozen in the butterfly house that I found roaming around the garden, crawling on the house, or walking down our pathway.

On the move again

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The polydamas swallowtail caterpillars are on the move again. The birthwort, its host plant, is almost gone, as the influx of caterpillars took to eating it almost to nothing.

When they are finished they start inching around the garden, causing you to look down to make sure you’re not stepping on them, instead of up.

Some have gone into the butterfly house, while others have started the chrysalis process on our house with creating its silk girdle.

Polydamas galore

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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.

Population explosion

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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