This photo is for those who are new to butterfly gardening and haven't seen Black Eastern Swallowtail caterpillars at the different growth stages. I gathered all these up today from my garden to add to the Swallowtail cat cage. They are some cool looking cats, IMHO!
Very Interesting! This is the first time I have seen the range of cat development in one pic! Bravo!
Thanks so much for posting that Becky.
Me too Tabasco. This is exactly what I was needing. A reference guide. :-)
I've heard folks referring to instars, etc. It would be helpful if you could identify the proper terms in your photo.
Janet
WTG Becky!!
Here are a few of them Janet...not all, but the most common terms in simple english:
Johnson County Extension
The terminology used by entomologists can be very confusing. Here are some terms related to butterflies and moths, along with plain English definitions.
CHRYSALIS
The butterfly becomes a chrysalis (also known as a pupa) when the caterpillar sheds its skin for the last time. It no longer resembles a caterpillar, but if you look closely, you can see the outline of the wing veins, abdomen, and sometimes even the proboscis and antennae. Butterflies do not spin cocoons and are sometimes referred to as a naked pupa.
COCOON
Protective covering spun by many moths and some skippers to enclose the pupa (chrysalis). Cocoons may have leaves, and other plant material incorporated into them and may be attached to the food plant. Some moths spin cocoons, but not all.
INSTAR
Term used to describe caterpillar growth beginning when the egg hatches and each time the caterpillar sheds its skin. A caterpillar that has just hatched and not yet shed its skin is a first instar caterpillar.
LARVA
Caterpiller stage of butterfly and moth development. Plural is larvae.
All growth takes place in this stage.
METAMORPHOSIS
The process of growth and change that takes place from the egg, larva, and pupa stages, to the adult stage. Lepidoptera are said to undergo "complete" metamorphosis because they go through four distinct stages of growth rather than three that some other insects experience.
MIMIC
Looking like another animal or object to gain protection from predators, parasites, etc. For example, the perfectly edible Viceroy butterfly gains protection from birds by mimicking the Monarch, which most birds avoid because of its toxicity.
MOLT
The shedding of old, smaller skin by a caterpillar which allows it to increase in size with the new larger skin.
PHEROMONE
A chemical released by some species as a form of communication. Those referred to in my notebook are used to attract a mate.
PROBOSCIS
A tube-like tongue used to siphon nectar, and other liquids. When not in use, the proboscis is coiled up under the head.
PROLEGS
Fleshy, suction cup-like appendages located on the abdomen and rear-end of the caterpillar which are used to cling to surfaces and aid in their movement.
PUPA
Another name for chrysalis - it is the third stage in a butterfly's or moth's life cycle after egg and larva (caterpiller). Pupae (plural of pupa) of some moth and skipper species are enclosed in a cocoon.
>> And the cycle begins again.....
Thanks Deb for the terminology and definitions! :-)
Janet - Sorry that I didn't use the correct terminology. I was afraid that it might confuse those new to butterfly/caterpillar watching. Next time I will try to use the correct terms.
Thanks Deb. That explains a whole lot. Very helpful info.
Janet
No need to apoligize Becky. I appreciate your having the photo with all of the different stages. Being new to this, I've been worried that there'd be something I should be looking for, and missing, due to my lack of knowledge. The combination of your photos and Deb's explanations gives me the right knowledge to not flick off something that I might have thought was "dirt", but in reality be eggs, etc.
I've seen a lot of those little black dots on the leaves. How long will it take for them to hatch? I look each day, and don't see any new developments. I did see a few tiny caterpillars about a week ago, but they've disappeared before we finished building the cage. I am going to have to have ANOTHER talk with the lizards that are hanging out over in that area.
Janet
Becky ..
Please, consider adding your photo to the DG BugFiles database -?-
As several have already stated above: such a photo, clearly depicting the caterpillar development .. would be a fantastic addition, and surely appreciated by all! There are several wonderful caterpillar pics, already - but this one, reveals the range ideally so!
Here's the link to the DG BugFiles' Eastern Black Swallowtail > http://davesgarden.com/bf/go/6/
- Magpye
Janet - The tiny eggs of the ST that I get on my dill and parsley are milky yellow (not black). I'm not sure what you have on the leaves of your plant. The tiny dark brown cat with a white saddleback spot on it's back is the first (or possibly second) instar stage of the ST. This stage looks more like bird droppings than a young cat. It's the ST cat's way of camouflage from predators. After that, the colors change to that pretty green and black with yellow spots pattern, with a light green belly. They mature through the instar stages rapidly.
If I am not mistaken, here is the approx. time-frame for the life cycle of "most" butterflies (though not all):
1) egg stage is 2-3 days.
2) caterpillar stage is about 12-14 days.
3) chrysalis stage 10-14 days.
And then the butterfly live 2-3 weeks. (Though some live shorter and some live much longer!)
I hope this helps!
Here is a good link for photos of the Eastern Black Swallowtail life cycle. You can see the difference between the male and female wing coloring as well.
http://www.fcps.edu/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/eastern_black_swallowtail.htm
For further information - here is a photo of the chrysalis (pupa) of the Eastern Black Swallowtail. It blends in very well with the leaves of many plants. Which makes it very hard to locate when looking for it in your garden. Sometimes they are brown to try to blend in with whatever they are attached to.
This message was edited Oct 11, 2006 12:50 PM
I have a pupa of the Giant Swallowtail. It has been on my lanai for 3 weeks. Is it possible for the BF to stay in its chrysalis for so long, or do you think it has died?? Karen
Becky, I didn't post a comment before, but I am really thankful for the picture of the instar stages that you did. Debness gave me a Rue plant complete with BST eggs at the swap, and I have two survivors. I thought I had three, but one never grew and I discovered it wasn't one, or had died very early on. But two of them (first instar) are doing great. It is about time for them to go into the stage two from the time line you posted. Maybe in another day or so they will be large enought for my DH to photograph them.
Thanks again. Please do add them to the bug files link, they will be of great use to others.
Sheila - You are quite welcome! And I did add it to the bug file! :-) Good luck with your BST babies!
