The Tiger Swallowtail
With the warm climate, butterflies are often in flight year round in Florida. Southern Florida is home to over 100 species of butterflies, and among the largest and most beautiful is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). Swallowtails are named for the long portion of their hind wings that resemble a swallow's tail feathers. Each of the fore wings of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail has four black stripes resembling a tiger. Males are yellow with black stripes, while females can be either yellow or dark gray with the same striped pattern. Often males will have a small portion of vivid color, but females always have orange and blue spots on the lower edge of the hind wing. Adult Swallowtails are large butterflies with a wingspan between three and six inches.
The female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail lay small, round eggs on the upper leaves of host trees such as Sweet Bay, Black Willow, or Red Maple. When the egg hatches, the caterpillar dines on the leaves of the tree on which it hatched. Over the course of a couple weeks, the larva grows to about two inches long and molts several times. At first, the larva resembles bird "poop" in order to ward off predators such as birds and raccoons. When it is plump and green, the caterpillar develops two "eyespots" – yellow spots with black centers, which resemble eyes. Eyespots help protect them from potential predators.
This hide is part of a guardrail nature series. It is dedicated to all the nature-lovers who geocache to spend time “smelling the flowers” and enjoying the outdoors. Float like a butterfly friends! 