Tag Archives: polydamas caterpillar

The gorgeous polydamas swallowtail

Posted on by
2

The swallowtail butterflies are absolutely stunning. It’s always fascinating for me to see the transformation from a caterpillar to a chrysalis to a butterfly.

The polydamas swallowtail caterpillars are viscous eaters who take a long time to reach their desired size. I always know when I have caterpillars chowing down on the Dutchman pipe because more than half of the leaves fall to the ground as they find the perfect spot to eat.

This morning the first of more than 20 emerged in our butterfly house. This beauty stuck with me for a while before it crawled on the porterweed to hang out a little longer.

This marks 26 that we have successfully raised and released.

The polydamas, also known as the gold rim swallowtail, tailless swallowtail and scientific name Battus polydamas lucayus, lays its eggs on the Dutchman pipe. This is the only swallowtail that lacks the tails at the base of the secondary wings, according to the University of Florida.

This species can be found throughout peninsular Florida, as well as in the Florida Keys. There are some that wander as far north as Missouri and Kentucky.

For more information, check out the link below, which includes quite a few photographs.

Polydamas Swallowtail

Rest after molting

Posted on by
Reply

The polydamas, also known as the gold rim swallowtail, tailless swallowtail and scientific name Battus polydamas lucayus, lays its eggs on the Dutchman pipe. The three Dutchman pipe plants have tons of caterpillars once again.

The caterpillar will go through four instars, 19 to 24 days, before it’s ready to form its chrysalis. The caterpillars are mostly dark purple brown with orange tubercles, but can come in a lighter version as well. They have a black head, prothorax top is orange and short dark stripes.Each time it molts its skin, the caterpillar will consume its exoskeleton to conserve the nutrients.

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 Dutchman pipe. The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length. Caterpillars can be found throughout the year in southern Florida.

The hunt

Posted on by
Reply

It’s interesting to see just how far a caterpillar will crawl to find its final destination for a chrysalis. This polydamas swallowtail chrysalis is quite far from its host plant creating a bit of a shock when I spotted it on my daughter’s playground. It also surprised me the chrysalis was not brown to match the wood it created its chrysalis upon.

I have to say part of the fun of having a butterfly garden is the hunt of finding where the caterpillars end up.

Molting

Posted on by
Reply

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.