Cycle of life for Black Swallowtail is a photograph by Jeff Folger which was uploaded on June 1st, 2015.
Cycle of life for Black Swallowtail
A black swallowtail butterfly (female) (Papilio polyxenes asterius) begins the cycle of life on this rue plant. The female lays the eggs on the... more
by Jeff Folger
Title
Cycle of life for Black Swallowtail
Artist
Jeff Folger
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography Artwork
Description
A black swallowtail butterfly (female) (Papilio polyxenes asterius) begins the cycle of life on this rue plant. The female lays the eggs on the underside of the leaves and the very tiny caterpillars will hatch in a couple of weeks and start to feed on the host plant. They will go through five instars or cycles. each cycle will result in a larger caterpillar emerging from it's pupae. The final instar (Fifth) is it's largest where it's striped green and black with yellow spots. From this phase it will form its Larvae pupate in the typical swallowtail "head-up" position attached at the posterior end to a silk pad by the cremaster and supported by a silk girdle. The genus name "Papilio" is the Latin word for butterfly. Eggs are laid singly on the host plants�usually on new foliage and occasionally on flowers. Development time is variable depending on temperature and host plant species, but generally the egg stage lasts four to nine days, the larval stage 10�30 days, and the pupal stage nine to 18 days (except for overwintering pupae). Pupae are the overwintering stage.
Uploaded
June 1st, 2015