In Butterflies: Part I, we explored two of the butterflies
that took up residence in the garden center I work in: the monarch and Gulf
fritillary. This time around there were three more to explore: giant swallowtail,
polydamas swallowtail and cloudless sulphur.
Giant Swallow Tail
The giant swallowtail is a beautiful butterfly. I had never
seen one before and was astounded by its size. Their wings span from 4
inches to just over 6 inches. I found this one sitting as still as could be
with at least a 6-inch wing span.
The giant swallowtail lives May through September in parts of the United States, but year round in Florida and the South. Here are two giant swallowtails mating.
Gaint swallowtails lay their eggs on plants in the citrus
family. This female oviposits, or lays her egg, on a cocktail tree, a fruit tree
that bears both lime and lemon fruit.
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© Snyder 2014
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As the giant swallowtail larva matures it
turns to a brownish color resembling bird poop. This is a great form of
camouflage. Giant swallowtail larva are cannibalistic, so they tend to be alone.
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© Venema 2014
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The larva transforms into the pupa or cocoon. This one has
just recently transformed.
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© Snyder 2014
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The giant swallowtail's pupa stage can last many months. When they overwinter in this form, it is known as diapause.
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© Snyder 2014
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Polydamas Swallowtail
The polydamas swallowtail is a tropical species found in Florida,
the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. This was a hard butterfly to capture with a
camera, it was constantly on the move.
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© Snyder 2014
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The polydamas swallowtail lays her eggs in groups of 10 to
14 on the host plant pipevine or dutchman’s pipe. The group of larvae also feed
together.
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© Snyder 2014
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As the larva grow bigger, they detach from their groups to feed their voracious appetites.
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© Snyder 2014
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The Host Plant Dutchman’s Pipe
Pupae may be light green or brown depending if they are close to foliage or darker colored stems.
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly
The cloudless sulphur butterfly is a common Florida butterfly.
Their habitat extends to some northern states during the summer months, but
they migrate back to Florida for the winter. Their habitat extends to the West
Indies and as far south as Argentina. Cassia is the host plant found in my garden center.
Cassia
The larvae reflect the different colors of the cassia plant. This larva feasted on the green leaves.
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© Snyder 2014
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This larva feasted on the yellow flowers of the plant.
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© Snyder 2014
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The pupa looks similar to a leaf and is either green or
pink. This one is the small light green object in the center of the picture, it looks like a leaf.
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© Snyder 2014
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The cloudless sulphur butterfly's flight is very erratic and rarely landed long enough for a picture. This butterfly just emerged from its pupa, the remnants
of the pupa is to the right of it.
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© Snyder 2014
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