Giant Swallowtail Butterfly and Caterpillar

The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio cresphontes, is the largest butterfly species in North America. While its North American presence is primarily restricted to the southern United States, its southern native range extends as far as Columbia and Venezuela in northern South America.

Because this butterfly’s larval host plant includes members of the Citrus family, it is regarded as a pest by many citrus growers.  Giant Swallowtail caterpillars can eat all the leaves of small plants, which is sometimes lethal to little citrus trees.  Our ranch in northwest Louisiana (Wafer Creek Ranch) has only one species representing the family, Wafer Ash (aka, Common Hoptree), Ptelea trifoliata. Although uncommon on our land, if it were destroyed or otherwise lost, there would be no more of these dazzling flying insects so important in their pollen distribution from flower to flower.

The caterpillar exemplifies to me the peculiar concoction of beauty and freakiness. The lumpy area at one end of its body is a fake head forming a hood-like structure with amazing geometric designs and beautiful fake eyes. The real head is in front and largely tucked under the expanded hood. Check out those “eyes” and see if you agree with me that they look a bit sleepy and mammalian like. As with many insects, such fake ornaments are an evolutionary protective measure to intimidate would-be predators. JA

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About the Author
Conservationist and retired medical doctor (pathology), Johnny Armstrong and his wife Karen and Opal (k-nine) live within a Nature Conservancy protected old-growth forest and woodland near Ruston, Louisiana. Shadowshine is his first novel.