Black Swallowtail caterpillar

Green or white, yellow, and black pattern. Most caterpillars green with black band extending over each body segment. Six yellow dots are embedded in each black band.

The black swallowtail has a wingspan of 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in). The upper surface of the wings is mostly black. On the inner edge of the hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. A male of this species has a yellow band near edge of wings; a female has row of yellow spots. The hindwing of the female has an iridescent blue band.