Metamorphosis - Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio Polyxenes)

We have a new Eastern Black Swallowtail!!


Yesterday at 4 am I discovered the chrysalis had turned black - the tell-tale sign that metamorphosis is imminent. Sure enough, when I got in from gardening around 8 this is what I found. Our new butterfly was drying its wings. Raising butterflies is a great hobby. It is always a miraculous event to watch the process for each butterfly.

The caterpillar for this particular specimen was found on either Bronze Fennel .....

(An aside here, folks. So I went to look up the Latin name for fennel - couldn't find my "Audubon Society Field Guide to American North American Wildflowers", went to look for it, found my cold cup of coffee on the bathroom sink- wondered why I was still so sleepy, put the cup in the microwave, went hunting down the guide, found it, got the coffee, brought it all into the office where I realized that I already have the information on a note card in my garden reference file!! Talk about a senior/ADD moment!! - Anyone out there relate to my life??!!)

It took me an hour to figure it out, but finally got these pictures out of my new digital camera - I really hate having to try to learn new technology, but I will set aside the time to be able to use it better as it does take fantastic pictures, and is so much easier, when I can remember how to download the pictures!

So the source food, Bronze Fennel (card not in file!) (fennel not in guidebook) (Found it in "A Modern Herbal, How to Grow, Cook and Use Herbs", Edited by Violet Stevenson, Treasure Press, 1974 Lynn Press Limited.)

So, one of the plants I found the caterpillars on is Bronze Fennel, Foeniculum. The other is Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot), Daucus Carota, not to be confused with Cow Parsnip. (see Queen Anne's Lace post in the near future.)


This beauty was fully dry by afternoon, and ready to enjoy the Butterfly Weed (Pleurisy Root), Asclepias tuberosa, which is in the Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae).
This is a butterfly from last year on one of it's favorite food sources, Butterfly Bush, Buddleia Davidii Nanhoensis 'monum'. I initially thought this brood would be Anise Swallowtail, as that is one I have had frequently in the past. As the caterpillars were on 2 different plants, and they were all so similar in appearance, I narrowed it down to the Eastern Black Swallowtail or the Anise Swallowtail. They both feed on the same host plants. Interesting.
Bronze Fennel is one of the plants I initially offered in the spring. Two families, who transplanted the plants into their gardens each took a caterpillar home, to experience this process for themselves.

Gavin named his caterpillar "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" has been traveling in his snug sleeping bag with the family as they travel to Maine. Fred, named by Wyatt, is at home in Braintree! My how our caterpillars do travel!

This is Wyatt's Fred!