Eastern Black Swallowtail - Papilio polyxenes spp. asterius

If you live on the East Coast, you'll know this butterfly: 

The Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes spp. asterius) (male)


On the East Coast, these butterflies inhabit public parks, vacant lots, and other open areas. They usually take nectar from flower species such as Butterfly Bush, and Aster. You may find them at puddles, too, bringing a splash of color to a rainy day. I've found them at pools, and sometimes even glasses of water left unattended. 

You'll know these  butterflies if you grow parsley, too. Their fairly distinctive caterpillars munch on parsley, dill, and other related plants. They make chrysalis away from the host plant, so if you look on walls, poles, or fences, you'll probably find some. The swallowtails in general are weird, seeing as they don't actually suspend their chrysalises from leaves, as is the norm. Instead, they kind of molt  with a little belt holding them to the surface. So, if you want to find them, don't look for suspended chrysalises, look for chrysalises with most of the chrysalis touching the surface (pole, fence, etc).

I raised the one in the picture myself, from a batch of 13. Sadly most of them died (we have so little parsley and so many caterpillars). You would not believe how fast they go through that stuff. 
It was amazing though, raising that one. It just climbed out onto my hand, opened its wings, and walked onto the flower. 

Really amazing...  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Double Post: Poecilopompilus algidus and P. interruptus

Image
The most fascinating family of wasps, in my opinion, is Pompilidae; that is, the spider wasps. As Eric R. Eaton put it in the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, " Spider wasps (family Pompilidae) are solitary, high-strung hunters".  In this post, I would like to focus on one genus: Poecilopompilus. This is one of the prettier genera, and P. interruptus mimics paper wasps.  Poecilopompilus interruptus (Interrupted Spider Wasp): pigsonthewing, Wikimedia Commons Poecilopompilus algidus (Frigid Spider Wasp): Xsanka, Wikimedia Commons Poecilopompilus are one of the larger genera of spider wasps in the eastern United States. They are, as the pictures above make evident, variable between species. The adult females, much like any other spider wasp, hunt large wolf spiders. They will dig a burrow after prey capture. During nest excavation, they cache the prey nearby, and it is then at risk of being parasitized. The wasps attempt to combat this by checking on the prey oft...
Read more

Ponerini in the City: Hypoponera opacior

Image
 I usually think of members of the tribe Ponerini as nesting in wood, in the suburbs. Recently, however, I've found a species that nests in the city sometimes. It's Hypoponera opacior, and it is a rather small ant.   Ponerines, in general, can be distinguished from most other ants by the sleek, cylndrical body, and often fast serpentine movements. The genus and species we are looking at today is distinguishable by it's small size, and the petiole being smooth. It's often found under wood, in wood, or in dirt under rocks and concrete.  I've found this species nesting by my house, and in Byrd park. It isn't something I usually find in cities, as they usually like more undisturbed habitats. Ants are the most diverse in nesting habitats, though, so I'm not that surprised.  In terms of diet, this species eats springtails and other small soft-bodied insects. They can scavenge bigger prey such as crickets and soft-bodied beetles. 
Read more

Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus)

Image
 As I stated in a previous post (see Locust Borer), beetles are fascinating and diverse, with varying diets, habits, sizes, and patterns. Well, the subject of this post will be the Red Milkweed Beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus. The beetle is of the family Cerambycidae (the Longhorn beetles), which are somewhat known for their interesting and vivid patterns.  Many people who don't study insects will recognize the foodplant as that of the famous-yet-declining Monarch: Milkweed! However, sometimes, they feed on dogbane when no milkweed is present. These beetles employ a tactic called aposematic coloration,  which is what makes Monarchs so appealing to the eyes. Aposematic coloration, often a combination of red and black, is meant to deter predators by advertising a poisonous nature.  These beetles sequester toxins from milkweed, which is poisonous, as do the Monarch caterpillars. Milkweed gets its name from the fact that it "bleeds milk", or rather a latex-like substanc...
Read more