This butterfly has an abundance of names, some of which include eastern black swallowtail, black swallowtail, American swallowtail, parsnip swallowtail and parsley swallowtail.

The eastern black swallowtail, is also known as papilio polyzenes asterius, papilio is the Latin word for butterfly.) It has been known as a nuisance, as it feeds on parsley and dill.

This swallowtail, apparently is one of the most common butterflies, as they can be found throughout southern Canada, as well as many locations in the United States – eastern to mid-west and southwest to northern Mexico.

The male butterflies perch on low vegetation to defend its territory and their mating typically occurs during the afternoon. The adult eastern black swallowtail butterflies tend to find a roosting spot in vegetation with late afternoon sun exposure.

The butterfly’s wingspan is 6.9 to 8.4 centimeters and the male and female have different markings, making it easier to tell them apart. As with other butterflies, the female is larger with the upper surface of her wings black with two rows of yellow spots, which are smaller and lighter, as well as a powdery iridescent blue.

The male, on the other hand, have both larger and brighter rows of yellow spots and his powdery iridescent blue is less distinguished. Another cool characteristic, the red spot with a black bulls-eye in the middle of the hind wings.

The caterpillar changes pretty drastically as it goes through its instars. The swallowtails, I have noticed, take quite a bit of time to go through all of its instars, with this one being no exception. This caterpillar takes anywhere from 10 to 30 days before entering the chrysalis stage, which can last up to 18 days.

When the caterpillars are young they have a “white saddle,” according to the University of Florida. The website also stated that it’s white because of the “uric acid deposits,” which protects them from “phototoxic chemicals” consumed from their diet. As the caterpillar mature, it will turn green with black long bands across its body with yellow spots.

These caterpillars also have their little horns, which they have already displayed. It’s called osmeteria and is located at the back of its head. When extended it lets out an awful odor into the air, which I have yet to smell.

There are three pairs of true legs of a caterpillar, as well as five “pro-legs” that function the same. Interesting fact, the true legs eventually turn into the butterfly’s legs and the pro-legs vanish during metamorphosis. Another interesting fact: the caterpillar consists of strong jaws, which are connected to a digestive tube that has an opening for the caterpillar’s waste. It’s crazy to think that a caterpillar consumes twice its body weight in a day.

The molting takes place because their skin does not grow as they consume more leaves from their host plant. So, to have enough room, the caterpillar first grows new skin underneath before it sheds its old skin.

The new exoskeleton is first soft before hardening to protect the caterpillar.

The silk girdle, or band, is around the thoracic leg area towards the front of its body. The end of the caterpillar is attached to a silken pad. These caterpillars too will mimic the color in which they attach their chrysalis. So, they should be of a “bark” like color when they are done.

The chrysalis started off as green and by the next morning it changed to brown, mimicking the wood color of the butterfly house.

I have read that they are among the easiest to attract to your garden, but unfortunately the adults are not always abundant during February through November. The butterfly will fly slow and near the ground when looking for nectar, or its host plant, which is dill in our garden.