Florida Spring Butterflies and Larvae

We're starting to see more butterflies and their larvae as the environment has temporarily moistened.  Unfortunately the forecast is for another long, hot, dry period beginning tomorrow and lasting for at least the next 7 days.  Regardless, it has rained enough in the past week to trigger a new flight of many native butterflies.  These are a few species one is likely to encounter on the Florida peninsula.

Above:  The snake-mimicking Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio troilus).  While this creature looks other-worldly it is actually the relatively common larval stage of the Black Swallowtail butterfly that is abundant in North America.  There is a Florida subspecies—Papilio troilus ilioneus.

When the larvae are young they resemble bird droppings (bottom of image above).  As they grow they begin to look something like a snake and are a little scary—even to experienced naturalists—who stumble upon them.  The caterpillar displays large spots on its swollen thorax giving the appearance of a snake's head.  The spots look like eyes, even to the point of having a white highlight to simulate moisture.  As they mature they roll up leaves, holding them together with silk.  They stay in these retreats by day.  A bird investigating the rolled up leaf will be confronted by what appears to be a snake.

Below:  Once it emerges it becomes a low-flying Swallowtail.  The host plants are generally in the family Lauraceae (the Laurel family).  In Florida they are often found on Sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana) and Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora).  Their favorite nectar-producing flowers appear to be Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium), jewelweed (also known as impatiens), and honeysuckle.  They're also often seen on zinnia and lantana.

Below:  We have many species of checkerspot butterflies in Florida.  This is the Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton).