Black Swallowtail Caterpillar
I’ve identified these as the caterpillars of a swallowtail butterfly, and narrowed that down further to the black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). These look like three different caterpillars but I believe they are all in different stages of growth on their way to becoming a swallowtail butterfly. I found them in my neighbor’s garden munching on some fennel.
The butterfly that these turn into is the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey. But we’re here to talk about the caterpillar 😁
Caterpillars are the larval stage of butterflies and moths. During this stage of life, they just eat. That’s pretty much it. Throughout this stage they will split and shed their skin several times, some growing 100 times their original size. All of the food they eat is stored to be used in their adult stage. The projections from its head are glands called osmeterium. When they believe they’re in danger, they release these glands and emit a foul odor to repel predators.
Otherwise, they just eat. Enjoy the gallery!
