Black swallowtail ( Papilio polyxenes ), early instar by larose forest photos

larose forest photos | all galleries >> INSECTS (INSECTA) (28 Galleries) >> Butterflies (Lepidoptera) (8 Galleries) >> Butterfly Larvae and Pupae > Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), early instar

previous | next


22-JUL-2010	Christine Hanrahan

Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), early instar

This is a "baby" caterpillar, it will change colour as it matures through the different stages (instars), until it looks like the one in the next photo.

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
1/500s f/3.5 at 5.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto

previous | next

Don		19-Jan-2023 21:10
It is striking at this stage. I like the description of it being in pajamas.

reflectionsofnature		24-Jul-2010 23:49
I remember being very confused by this caterpillar a few years ago because it wasn't shown in any of my field guides. They showed the mature form but not this. Interesting to see that this "juvenile" caterpillar has spikes on it while the mature ones don't.

slhoornstra		24-Jul-2010 06:56
Quite stunning. I am trying to guess the size. A wonderful shot of this butterfly in pajamas. V

Commenting on this page requires a PBase account.
Please login or register.