Jas from the Lab

All 5 of my Swallowtails have reached or surpassed the “prepupa” stage. 3 of them have already made chrysalises. Only one decided to pupate on the actual Dill. The rest moved to the sticks I provided in their enclosure.

EB Swallowtail chrysalises can range from green to brown to blend in with the surroundings. 🦋💚

24 Hours later…🥚🐛🦋

And then there were 2….🐛
1 Pupa (chrysalis)
2 Prepupa
2 5th instar caterpillars

Raising Eastern Black Swallowtails 🦋
(Papilio polyxenes)

First “prepupa.”

Fun fact: Swallowtails hang right side up by a silk girdle made around their “waist.” If you look closely you can seen glimpses of it.

In 24-48 hours this butterfly will begin to “hang” from this stick. It will shed it’s caterpillar form one last time and harden to form a chrysalis at which point it will be a “Pupa.” The caterpillar body will be broken down except for special cells with the code to make the butterfly. The butterfly will be rebuilt from scratch. After remaining in the chrysalis for 10-14 days a butterfly will “eclose” or emerge. 🦋💚

Raising Eastern Black Swallowtails
Papilio polyxenes

How it started vs. How it’s going
A lot can change in one week. 🐛🦋
Eastern Black Swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes)

💚💚💚