Family Papilionidae

Caterpillar food: plants in the Umbelliferae – the carrot family – including Queen Anne’s Lace, Parsley, Dill, Wild Parsnip as well as native plants in that family like Yellow Pimpernel.

Male Black Swallowtail – 9/2010  Males have larger yellow markings, and less blue.

 

Male – underside of wings

 

Females have less yellow and more blue, but the same basic pattern.

 

A newly hatched female – underside of wings

 

I often see Black Swallowtails “puddling” on our driveway during the summer – gathering up salts and other nutrients.

 

 

When the females lay an egg, they hover next to the host plant – laying the egg without resting on the plant.

 

The eggs are laid singly – this one is on a dill leaf

 

Early instars are dark with a white band around the middle.  They look a bit like bird droppings – possibly for camouflage.

 

An older caterpillar – on Yellow Pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima)

 

 

Black Swallowtail caterpillar – late instar – on Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

 

 

Two Black Swallowtails in their pre-pupa position

 

When caterpillars pupate, sometimes the chrysalis is green, sometimes brown.

 

5/6/2009  The adults are some of the earliest butterflies to emerge from their chrysalises in the spring.