The Winter Equinox occurs this Sunday, March 20, and heralds the beginning of butterfly season. Monarch butterflies are en route from Mexico, with first sightings reported in Texas. Also fluttering: gorgeous Eastern Swallowtails, often seen but seldom celebrated.
So why are Eastern Swallowtails so underappreciated?
Those who breed Swallowtails for fun or profit bemoan their unpredictability. They roam away from the host plant when they’re ready to form their chrysalis,
“Swallowtails are very delicate,” says Dale McClung, of the Florida Butterfly Farm and a member of the International Butterfly Breeders Association. “They are very susceptible to wing damage in flight houses and will lose their tails very quickly from repeated contact with the screening,” McClung says. He adds that the Eastern Swallowtails’ unique pupae,
Members of the IBBA are largely responsible for raising awareness of butterflies in recent years by supplying them by the thousands to butterfly exhibits at zoos and demonstration gardens, as well as those used in celebratory releases, educational outreach and research. Challenges raising Swallowtails surely contribute to their lesser popularity, compared to the storied, migrating Monarch, which reproduces like clockwork.
“They are beautiful butterflies. I have raised several species of Swallowtails over the years. They are extra work and expense insofar as space and plant material, so many do not bother with them for releases, but some of us do, ” says McClung.
Swallowtails’ unpredictability can be charming. When they hatch on their own schedule–sometimes weeks or maybe months after forming their lovely chrysalis–you may come home to a pleasant surprise like the perfect specimen pictured above, which had been overwintering in my office since last October and just decided to eclose this week.
For more on Swallowtails and their host plants, visit this previous post at the Butterfly Beat.
UPDATE: Dale McClung of Florida Butterfly Farm adds via an email:
“Swallowtails are high flyers and need a large space to roam more naturally. . . . Many swallowtails, unlike monarchs and most other butterflies, do not “land” on flowers when feeding or laying eggs, they gently hover in place while holding position with their feet. Eastern blacks will land, but also will flutter in place as well. During the daylight hours, they are, therefore, in more or less constant motion only stopping when roosting for the night in the wild.”
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