Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
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The Spicebush Swallowtail is another butterfly that mimics the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail. The adults are black with blue on their hindwings. The caterpillars, however, are much more unusual. They feed on plants such as spicebush and sweet bay, and so are found regularly in the Hartman Prehistoric Garden.
During the day, the larvae rest in rolled up leaves. Very young caterpillars have the usual swallowtail form the resembles bird droppings. They do, however, have small eyespots located near their head. As the caterpillars grow, they become mostly green and the eyespots on their enlarged thorax look alarmingly like some larger creature. As realistic as these spots are, they are merely ornamental coloration.
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class: Insecta / order: Lepidoptera / family: Papilionidae / genus: Papilio / species: troilus
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