Tag Archives: Dutchman pipe

The babies have returned

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I spotted at least a dozen of the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars on my Dutchman pipe this morning.

These are among my favorites as they eat in clusters when they are younger, only devouring the youngest leaves. Often times when you walk in the garden you see leaves falling, as they chomp away on certain parts, letting the rest fall to the ground.

The female butterfly will lay anywhere between 10 to 14 yellow, to orange eggs in clusters, typically on newly developed stems, or growing tips of its host plant. The caterpillars go through four instars, anywhere from 19 to 24 days, before they are 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.

She has returned

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For the first time since Hurricane Ian struck our area in September, the polydamas swallowtail has returned to the garden. She first caught my attention while I was in the kitchen, lulling me outside. There is something striking about a black butterfly with yellow markings on the bottom of the wing.

I tried to capture a photograph of her while she landed on my Dutchman pipe, but her wings never slowed down enough, staying in place long enough to capture her beauty. I was excited to see she left a few treasures behind on her host plant, the Dutchman pipe, which is flowering for the second time since I bought the plant more than two years ago.

Babies are here

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The baby polydamas swallowtail caterpillars are in abundance on my Dutchman pipe. There are more on the other side of the leaf, a total of 9.

Right place, right time

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While I was walking from the living room to the kitchen, I glanced out the back window and spotted a polydamas, gold rim, swallowtail butterfly circling the Dutchman Pipe. I quickly grabbed my camera and headed to the garden. I watched, took photos and filmed this female lay at least a dozen eggs.

She was so focused on her task at hand that she did not mind me taking more than a 100 photos.

The eggs she laid are approximately 1 mm in diameter and are partially covered by a nutritious secretion hard shell, which have vertical bands with large droplets. This secretion is produced by a gland that is above the female’s ovipository duct.

As the eggs mature and the larvae develop, they will turn a slight greenish color, approximately four to six days later.

When the caterpillars hatch, their first meal will be consuming the residual embryonic yolk, as well as the secretion on the outside of the egg.

The caterpillars will eat for about 19 to 24 days, with early instars molting, shedding old skin, about every four days.

The polydamas caterpillar

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It never fails, as soon as my Dutchman Pipe slowly grows back, the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars return. I spotted at least six this morning. The caterpillar will grow to approximately 5.3 centimeters before creating its chrysalis. It’s fun to watch these guys grow as they change in texture – from a rough textured appearance to more of a smooth texture – and can change in color ranging from dark brown to light tan.