Tag Archives: polydamas caterpillar

Fast flyer

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The polydamas swallowtail, otherwise known as the gold rim swallowtail, is an incredibly fast flyer. The wings are constantly going. This swallowtail continued to fly in and get a quick snack from the Panama rose before taking off again.

The Dutchman pipe, its host plant, was incredibly impressive at the Cape Coral-Lee County Public Library butterfly garden. There were tons of flowers and it expanded a good portion of the fence. The polydamas never let mine grow enough before it’s egg bombed and chewed all the way down again. If you looked hard enough, there were tons of caterpillars in the plant.

A stroll

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This little polydamas swallowtail broke away from the pack and went for a solo stroll on my Dutchman pipe. It was strange, as they are usually huddled together at this size.

And the cycle continues.

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I have never seen so many polydamas swallowtails in my garden at once until yesterday. There were five fluttering about, one of which was leaving behind a ton of eggs, continuing the amazing cycle of the butterfly.

The polydamas lays yellow to orange eggs in clusters of 10 to 14, which can typically be spotted on newly developed stems, or growing tips, of the Dutchman pipe. The butterfly tends to lay its eggs on the Dutchman pipe that are in sunny areas, although the caterpillars have a higher survival rate in the shade.

The eggs can be yellow to orange in color and 1 mm in diameter. As they mature the eggs will turn a greenish color as the larvae develop.

Lucky perk

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Who would have guessed planting an extensive butterfly garden out my front window would have so many perks? I wanted to plant the garden there, so when I sat in my living room, I could watch the butterflies flutter by the window. (Yes, I do this more than I can count.)

A perk?

Caterpillars crawling to the area around my front door to create its chrysalis. Today, the surprise was a polydamas swallowtail. It has its silk pad and girdle created. The hope is to catch it creating its chrysalis, as it is located right out our front door.

I have lost count of the number of chrysalis that have been located in this little area surrounding my door. A definite bonus of the garden!

A stroll

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I love, love, love my nightly stroll through the garden. One, because the scorching, awful heat isn’t as bad around the 7’oclock hour, and two, I love spotting the acticity taking place in the garden.

With the almost daily rain, everything is lush and growing really well. I have finally decided to tackle my back butterfly garden again, which is where I found the treasures today. I have my husband on board to help build some trellises for both the Dutchman pipe and the maypop passionvine. My garden will look amazing when those projects become complete.

My Dutchman pipe is crawling with polydamas caterpillars once again on all three plants. How many can you could? I see six all sharing the same part of the vine.

Polydamas caterpillars.