Tag Archives: polydamas swallowtail caterpillar

Finally in the right place

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I have always wondered how a polydamas swallowtail has made its chrysalsis. I have read about the transformation, have seen the first step and the last step, but never the in-between until last night.

When the caterpillar is ready to enter its next stage it attaches a silk pad with its terminal prolegs, so it can hang from a silk girdle.

After the sun had gone down, the caterpillars started to do their dance as I was walking past the butterfly house. Another perk of having a butterfly garden, my husband’s beautiful creation of a butterfly house that has allowed countless viewings of the lifecycle.

I was so excited to witness the polydamas swallowtail make its chrysalis that I ran and grabbed my phone to record the incredible transformation.

It took more than 5 minutes for the caterpillar to complete the transformation. Check out the link below for the complete video on my Facebook page and be sure to follow for additional photographs and videos from the garden.

Fat caterpillars

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I love watching the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars. The stages they go through and the size they become is fascinating. There are probably two dozen caterpillars on the birthwort eating.

The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length.

Population explosion

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The polydamas swallowtail caterpillar population has exploded in the garden. I watched the polydamas swallowtail lay eggs on my birthwort, which is now crawling with tons of caterpillars.

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 plant.

The caterpillar will go through four instars, 19 to 24 days, before it’s 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.

They have a black head, prothorax top is orange and short dark stripes. Once the caterpillars enter the third instar, the caterpillar becomes smoother with a glossy appearance.

The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length

On the move

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It’s always fun to take a stroll in and around the garden to find where the caterpillars end up.

I found one polydamas swallowtail far away from the garden, on the corner of my house, and another hiding in the Bahama cassia tree, still in the safety of the garden.

They are definitely on the move! I am looking down more than up as I move around the gardens to make sure I am not stepping on any caterpillars moving about.

The girdle

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The polydamas swallowtail caterpillars are so neat to watch. First they attach a silk pad with its terminal prolegs, so it can hang from its silk girdle before they finish their chrysalis. Depending on where they create their chrysalis it can be either green, or brown. The ones on the Dutchman pipe are green, while the others on the enclosure are brown to match the wood.