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Black swallowtail caterpillars (instars 1-4)

Papilio polyxenes

Photo by KarenL
Published on Project Noah
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35.9021, -86.8826

Field Notes

Description:

All four stages (instars)

Habitat:

Semi rural

Reference Links:

LIFE CYCLE OF A BLACK SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY Photo Gallery by Bob Moul at pbase…

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)
KarenL
Thank you tangke & Megan!
MeganM
So neat to see all four stages in one photo! Nice spotting
tangke35
There really cool and I have some
KarenL
Sonam, no but they do have a forked gland, called the osmeterium. When in danger, the osmeterium, which looks like a snake's tongue, everts and releases a foul smell to repel predators. You can just see this on one of the smaller caterpillars in photo 2.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Caterpillars and larvae of the World
Mission
Wildlife of Goose Creek
Mission
Backyard Habitats of the World
Mission
Butterflies and Moths of Southeast USA
Mission
Caterpillars of the Southeastern USA
Photographed
PublishedSeptember 26, 2013

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