InsectNet forum

Here I feature a case of 2 swallowtail species.
The first half shows self collected examples of
Papilio polyxenes asterius. The second half is
a grouping of Papilio zelicaon + 3 hybrids incl.

Just a selection offering some of the subtle
diversity present when one gathers several of
any one species of butterfly.







The P. zelicaon (hybrids) appear as the somewhat
smaller examples in the 4th column (first 3).

Papilio polyxenes was probably the first butterfly that I ever raised. Back in the early 1980s, my grandmother used to plant a lot of dill (Anethum graveolens) for use in canning pickles, and every year, polyxenes caterpillars would show up on it, without fail. I was far more interested in rearing the swallowtail caterpillars than making dill pickles! I planted some dill again several years ago, and as expected, many polyxenes larvae appeared, and I reared around 25 to maturity.


https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/20 ... rb-garden/

Nice drawer!

That's a really wonderful photograph of those larvae. Really brings back warm memories of finding these on wild dill in a field near my boyhood home.

The field is now long gone but, the memories still remain strong. I have seen wild dill in other fields near my present home but, I haven't seen a larvae in years.

Thanks for the memories !