A few of the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars were in their molting process on the Dutchman pipe this morning. They will most likely consume their exoskeleton to conserve its nutrients.
These guys will grow up to 2.1″ in length and typically take 19 to 24 days to go through their four instars. There are definitely a few that are nearing that final stage before chrysalis.
The polydamas swallowtail has been my greatest challenge photographing in the garden. I am happy to say she slowed down long enough to lay eggs, giving me time to click numerous photographs documenting the process. Thankfully a few turned out, capturing this beauty laying her cluster of eggs.
They lay eggs in clusters and there are many on the new growth of our Dutchman pipe. I am constantly seeking new knowledge about the life cycle of the butterflies that are visiting our garden.
The eggs that a butterfly lays has an outer shell called chorion, which, the “Florida Butterfly Gardening,” book said “is secreted by the follicle cells in the ovarioles.” When laid on the host plant, it goes through two short appendages, which are at the tip of the abdomen, and is glued to the leaf in which it is laid. I have only seen this butterfly lay its eggs on the top of new leaves, or new vines. The butterfly below also laid two eggs on wire. The baby caterpillars are going to have to search for food when born.
Did you know that a female butterfly has eight ovarioles, enabling some species to lay hundreds of eggs in just a few hours? Wow. The “Florida Butterfly Gardening” book shared that only one egg goes from the ovarioles into the oviduct, a larger tube. The egg, which travels through the oviduct, is fertilized by sperm, which is stored in what is called the spermatheca. When the egg goes through an opening in the accessory gland, glue and nutrients are applied to the shell’s outer surface.
The polydamas swallowtail caterpillars have certainly been busy in the garden eating the Dutchman pipe almost down to sticks, and traveling long distances to find areas to make its chrysalis.
The mature caterpillars can reach 2.1 inches in length before it starts its chrysalis. They remain in the caterpillar stage, four different instars, from 19 to 24 days to reach that desired length.
Depending on where they make their chrysalis it will resemble either a green, or brown leaf, as pictured above. We also have chrysalis in the butterfly house that are either on branches or the sides of the house that are brown in color mimicking that dead leaf.
The polydamas swallowtail butterfly typically emerges from its chrysalis at about 18 days.
As always, check out my page on polydamas swallowtails: https://bit.ly/3MHVXnb.
My beautiful, lush Dutchman pipe has been chewed down to almost nothing as the polydamus swallowtail caterpillars continue to go through all their instars. There were quite a few that were brought into our butterfly house, with many finally finishing up its caterpillar stage, getting rid of the last of its waste, creating its silken girdle and creating its either green, or brown chrysalis.
We have six that have made its silken girdle, getting ready to finish off its chrysalis. There are two very close to each other with a monarch caterpillar hiding in the below photo. We had quite a few caterpillars decide to make its chrysalis on a milkweed. I guess the plant will be staying in the butterfly house for a good two weeks.
So far we have three chrysalis as of this morning from this batch of caterpillars. There are eight caterpillars still either eating or finding their destination to start their chrysalis. The polydamas are certainly taking over our butterfly house right now.
As always, click on the link for more information and photos of the polydamas swallowtail: https://sweetbutterflybliss.com/polydamas-swallowtail-butterfly/?frame-nonce=f0243aad30
Another stroll through the garden showed that the polydamas caterpillars were on the move, walking the “tight rope.” My husband found a way for my Dutchman pipe to continue to climb to a trellis that already has two Dutchman pipe vines going up.
Some of the tips showed many of the caterpillars fighting amongst the same food.
Then to check on the butterfly house . . . another polydamas swallowtail molting. It’s amazing how fast these caterpillars are growing.
As always, here’s my page that shares more in-depth information, photos, and videos of the polydamas swallowtail: https://sweetbutterflybliss.com/polydamas-swallowtail-butterfly-2/?frame-nonce=a917bf6c0e
