Caterpillar - Papilio polyxenes

Thanks

for all the feedback, Folks. I see lots of the adults but this is the first caterpillar I've found.

… Jon M. Yuschock, 7 September, 2009 - 11:24am

Moved

… Abigail M. Parker, 4 September, 2009 - 11:01am

Black Swallowtail...

Last year we had MANY of these eating our carrot greens. We took three and they made their chrysalis. We hatched three Black Swallowtails and my son and I loved it immensely. They eat A TON. Unfortunately we were flooded out last year and have not seen any since.

… Spring Hansen, 3 September, 2009 - 9:07pm

just one for me this year

I checked all the parsley I could find from late June onward, found no eggs, and only one first-instar caterpillar. The evening I collected him, thunderstorms rolled in and wiped out all the eggs and soft-bodied insects for a week. But at least I saved one! I released the adult last week. Gorgeous.

… Abigail M. Parker, 3 September, 2009 - 10:21pm

Re: Caterpillar

This is an Anise Swallowtail. Good find! I used to be able to find them all the time as a kid, but I think it's been at least a few years since I last found one.

EDIT: Oops, I should have checked the location... It appears the Anise Swallowtail's range doesn't reach the eastern US.

… Natalie McNear, 3 September, 2009 - 7:04pm

It's a Black Swallowtail.

… Marie L. Schmidt, 3 September, 2009 - 7:37pm

Latin name: Papilio polyxenes

Nice find! They're common butterflies, but I've never found larvae in the wild - only in gardens, where they invariably show up on parsley. I actually plant parsley solely to get the caterpillars, and scour the community gardens near me, too! I always check Queen Anne's Lace for them and never find any. Nice to see this critter living truly wild.

… Abigail M. Parker, 3 September, 2009 - 8:51pm