GORGEOUS Giant Swallowtail! And yeah--they'll pupate in weird places just like all the other butterflies out there.


โ™ฒ Melanie - 2024-02-22 18:59:34 GMT

First butterfly of the year!And omg what a wild story. I found this swallowtail IN MY HOUSE!

So here's what I think happened. We had a freeze last month & I brought both of my calamondins inside to protect them. Citrus are hosts plants for Giant Swallowtails.

I'm guessing a chrysalis was accidently knocked off one of the calamondins & it hatched in my house. I found the butterfly in the same spot where the pots were. It was on the floor, unable to fly (which is why I'm guessing newly hatched - the wings were still wet.)

Gently scooped it up & put it outside. It's been resting in the same spot for the last hour. I've seen other newly hatched do exactly the same to dry their wings.

And honestly I have to laugh - I tried ALL LAST YEAR to get a decent Giant Swallowtail photo. Never managed it. Every one was blurry. And this year starts off w one my "holy grail" butterflies right in my own house! ๐Ÿ˜‚

#butterfly #swallowtail #Lepidoptera #NaturePhotography #TexasGarden #Zone9b
A Giant Swallowtail butterfly resting on a stem of broccoli rabe. Dorsal view with the wings spread wide.</p><p>Further detail: the butterfly is black with a horizontal yellow band stretching across the forewings and additional yellow markings down the sides of the hindwings. There are two small red and blue patches on the interior hindwings. Background is a tangle of long, tapered green leaves and a small cluster of yellow broccoli rabe flowers.

There are no comments yet.