Black Swallowtail

 

       Hey guys! As I’m sure everyone already noticed, I’m going to be talking about butterflies. I don’t know a whole lot about them but I absolutely love them so that’s why I choose to write about them. This is going to be a learning experience for the both of us when it comes to the information that is going to be on these blogs. There will always be a hyperlink on each blog that will go to the site that the information is on and has a lot more to learn about on a specific species of butterfly. Today I will be talking about the Black Swallowtail.

   The Black Swallowtail is well known for its black, almost dark purple, coloration. It often has yellow markings all along the outer parts of its wings, as well as some blue and red on is bottom wings. The wing span of this butterfly can get up to 4 ½ inches wide. A mature caterpillar can reach up to 2 inches in length and are identified by their black bands and yellow spots. They are normally are smooth and green with the identifying trademarks of a Black Swallowtail.

   The Black Swallowtail is known to mimic another butterfly called the Pipevine Swallowtail, which also has dark wings but they don’t have the yellow or red on the wings. By mimicking this butterfly the Black Swallowtail wards off its predators due to the nasty taste of the butterfly it mimics.

   As a caterpillar they would feed on carrot, parsley, dill, fennel, and Queen Anne’s lace. The caterpillar is very bad tasting to birds because of the toxins that they absorbed when eating these plants.  They use a “Y” or “V” shaped odor dispenser behind their heads to also ward off predators. These caterpillars are also medically harmless to humans or animals.