![]() The easiest way to deal with these issues is to migrate, leave, go south where it’s warm and there’s plenty to eat. Winter is hard on animals for two simple reasons: it’s cold, and there’s not a lot of food. It, too, could sense the coming of winter and was in a hurry to find a place to hole up, just like I was. ![]() However, in my hands it was a little safer and a little less overlooked because this caterpillar wasn’t just any caterpillar, it was a swallowtail butterfly larvae. A huge vein ran the entire length of its back, barely under the skin, pumping what I could only assume to be some disgusting bug juice. An unfortunate shade of brown, two inches long, and half an inch thick, the caterpillar writhed in my palm. The number of pedestrians on the sidewalk guaranteed it a quick death by squishing, so I picked it up. You can feel the change in season just walking down the street: people hurry from building to building, head down and quiet, bundled up and hunched against the cold, looking for warmth, a fire, hot cocoa.Last fall, on a crowded sidewalk, I nearly stepped on a huge, ugly, disregarded caterpillar. The days shorten, tourists leave, seasonal shops close, kids romp at the playground one last time, flower beds are mulched, snow tires put on the car, storm windows polished and mounted. There are a thousand things to do before the first snow, and not nearly enough time. ∽ is the hairy cocoon of the moth.Fall is a hectic time of year in Montana. In the bottom illustration, of moths, ∺ is an adult resting with its wings folded. ∾ is a newly emerged butterfly adult drying its wings. ∽ is the pupa (chrysalis of a butterfly). ∼ represents several instars, or stages, of larval feeding and growth. ∻ shows females ovipositing (egg-laying). In the left illustration, ∺ is an adult butterfly nectar feeding. These nineteenth century woodcuts illustrate portions of the life cycles of butterflies and moths. James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History. Mallow family, rose & marsh mallows, hollyhock Willows, especially black willow, pussy willow, poplars, plums, cherries Plantains, gerardias, toadflax, snapdragons, false loosestrifes Parsley family - both wild and cultivated: carrot, dill, parsley, and parsnip Some common butterflies and their caterpillar food plants.īack to "Creating a Butterfly Garden" Butterfly Species ![]() During the summer, the migrant adults lay eggs that produce the generation of monarchs that return to Mexico in the fall. The pupae turn into adult monarchs in 10 to 14 days, and it's this generation that arrives in Minnesota in May and June. After overwintering in the highlands of Mexico, the overwintering generation flies north to the latitude of Texas and lays eggs. The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) migrates south for the winter. ) and other composites, such as black-eyed Susan and sunflowers. The larvae feed on everlastings (Anaphalis spp. Painted ladies are attracted to open areas with low vegetation and a variety of flowers. The American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) and the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) do not overwinter in Minnesota but migrate from the south in the spring. They overwinter in barns, tree holes or other protected areas.Īs with the Black Swallowtail, the Papilionidae: Tiger swallowtail (left) and Papilionidae: Zebra swallowtail(right), of the same family, are characterized by a tail on each hind wing which is reminiscent of a swallow's feathers.Īn adult Mourning Cloak (Nymphalidae: Mourning cloak) feeds on the nectar of spring flowering plants such as this Amelanchier. Their caterpillars feed on a variety of common trees, such as willows, poplars and elm. Mourning Cloaks are the first butterflies seen in the spring, feeding on nectar from shrubs such as Amelanchier. Only a few, such as Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa) over winter as adults. The pupa overwinters and the butterfly emerges in the spring. Some butterflies have only one generation a year. Caterpillars and adults are strikingly colored as a way to advertise their toxicity and distastefulness to birds.īlack Swallowtail (Papilionidae: Black swallowtail): larvae feeding on parsley (left) larvae feeding on another host, dill (center) and an adult feeding on zinnia nectar (right). Their larvae accumulate toxins from the host in their body and these chemicals can be found in the adult butterfly as well. ![]() More details on caterpillar host plants of common butterflies found, for instance, in Minnesota are given in Table 2.īlack Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) caterpillars feed on dill, parsley and a few related species in the plant family Umbelliferae. ![]() We can learn much about butterfly gardening by examining the life history of some specific butterflies. From Butterfly Gardening by Vera Krischik ![]()
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