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.
Babies are here
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Tag Archives: polydamas caterpillar
Rest after molting
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
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
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.
Caterpillars
There are three sections of a caterpillars body, of course, with the first being the hard head, which includes its mouth on the lower side. The caterpillar has two jaws, which move from side to side, and includes either teeth, or blades, to cut, eat, through the leaves. On quite a few occasions, if you stop and listen closely, you can hear the caterpillars munching on the leaves.
The caterpillars found in the garden today are of various different sizes and species. I am sure there are more that we just did not find.
In order for a caterpillar to grow, it molts, which I read can take a day or two for the entire process to be completed. It’s fascinating to watch, if you ever have the opportunity to do so. The molting process takes place on several occasions, as the caterpillar has to shed its skin, so it can continue to eat and grow to the desired length. When a caterpillar begins to molt, it will create a silk pad, while making sure its prolegs are firmly attached. I find it interesting that the caterpillar will swallow air to enlarge itself, before its cuticle splits along the thorax, so it can wiggle out of the old skin.
