A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Papilio machaon
it is always the same individual. Three weeks ago I found the caterpillar ready to make its chrysalis. I returned a week ago, and was still fine, but didn't take any photos. Today I went and found it on the floor! as it is a place where many people pass, and didn't want they kill her, I brought the chrysalis to my house, and 4 hours later .... has left its chrysalis!
The food plants of the swallowtail in Europe, Asia, and North America are varied. It uses a wide variety of umbellifers including wild carrot (Daucus carota), wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and hogweeds (Heracleum). In the Maltese Islands, the caterpillar feeds on plants such as rue (Ruta chalepensis) and fennel. The caterpillar spends the first part of its life with the appearance of a bird dropping, an effective defense against predators. As the caterpillar grows larger, it becomes green with black and orange markings. It has a defense against predators in the form of an osmeterium, which consists of retractable, fleshy projections behind its head that can release a foul smell if disturbed, which deters insects, but not birds
13 Comments
Thank you Mark & Joe!
Excellent spotting Patricia... and that butterfly looks perfect .
Excellent series, thanks for sharing!
Thank's/Gracias Mona Pirih & LuisStevens!! :D
Qu buena serie Patricia!
Awesome series Patricia.. Very beautiful.. :)
thank you so much/muchas gracias! Gilma Jeannette Ospino Ferreira-Norman & Maria dB
Una maravillosa serie!
Beautiful story and great series, PatriciaPi. Thank you for sharing.
I love to see the stages of butterflies as caterpillar, chrysalis and Butterfly it teaches us how to ID when one is found.
Ahora que veo tantos spottings de Calpe me apetece ir por alli. Mi madre vive en Benidorm :-)
gracias Marta!
solicitud aceptada!
:)
Thanks for saving this beautiful butterfly! Nice story! :-)
¡Que requetebonita! Magnifica serie, Patricia!
Te he mandado un Friend Request en FB. Asi te puedo contar por mensaje privado como fuimos a Escocia etc ;-)