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Swallowtail Butterfly   

For the second season, we have found a Swallowtail caterpillar browsing on the young dill plants growing in our herb garden.   

A week later I found it had grown to this size.

The orange scent horns are a defense mechanism for the Swallowtail larvae.

They are brought out—everted, according to one source: our new word for the day!—when the caterpillar feels threatened and emit a smell that is offensive to potential predators.

A few days later, I found even more growth, to roughly double its original size. But then, unfortunately, it disappeared from the garden, no doubt moving on to the next stage in its life. 

Later in the season, I found a "cousin" of my caterpillar enjoying some nectar from a thistle. 

The same day I came across another member of the Swallowtail tribe, the Eastern Tiger. This "blonde" beauty is a lovely sight, too.

In fact, some Virginians felt so strongly that they campaigned for some years to have it replace the Praying Mantis and succeeded in 1991, as below:

§ 7.1-40.5. Official insect.
The Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus Linne) is hereby designated the official insect of the Commonwealth.
(1991, c. 575.) Commonwealth of Virginia

The Mantis continues to be the state insect in South Carolina. (Perhaps the scientific name, Stagmomantis carolina, helped!)

Any thoughts, pro or con? Why not drop me an anonymous note at the Comments page?

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