Featured Creatures
Eastern Black Swallowtail and Gulf Fritillary
The caterpillars of the Eastern Black Swallowtail are enjoying feasting on fennel in the garden this summer! This larval stage may take anywhere from 2- 4 weeks depending on the temperature and the host plant. The color of this later-stage caterpillar helps it look like a plant but also warns a predator by indicating that it doesn’t taste very good. Another defensive mechanism is that it can secrete a bad-smelling odor that acts like a repellent. This caterpillar will soon make a chrysalis, green or brown depending on the season, that is attached to a plant. After a few weeks or after over-wintering, the tissues will re-form into the butterfly.
The Gulf Fritillary, found in the southern US, enjoys the Rough Blazing Star flowers in the garden. This butterfly can release an odor from a gland on its abdomen to deter predators like birds. The adult butterfly lives for 2–4 weeks.
