I have been rearing caterpillars for the past three years. This is a collection of my favorite moments during their transformation.
Monarch Caterpillars (Early Instar)
Monarch Caterpillars
Host: Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Spicebush Swallowtail
The caterpillar looks like a bird dropping at this stage.
Host: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Spicebush Swallowtail
Host: Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Evolutionary Cousins
Black Swallowtail (Left)
Spicebush Swallowtail (Right)
Spicebush Swallowtail (Right)
Eruciform
Spicebush Swallowtail (Left)
Black Swallowtail (Bottom center)
Monarch chrysalides (Right)
Black Swallowtail (Bottom center)
Monarch chrysalides (Right)
All Grown Up
Final instars of Black and Spicebush Swallowtail
Eclosion
Black Swallowtail Hatchlings
Tiny bird droppings
Host: Rue (Ruta graveolens)
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars
Host: Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Green Glutton
Host: Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus)
Big Cat, Small Cat
Host: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Transparency
Side by side comparison of final instar Black Swallowtail caterpillar and pre-emergent butterfly
Life Cycle
Simultaneous stages of the Black Swallowtail side by side
Reincarnation
Chrysalides
Monarch (Left)
Black Swallowtail (Right)
Black Swallowtail (Right)
Emergence
Female Black Swallowtail