About 11 days ago we found an adult Black Swallowtail alive in our house. We live in Pennslvania, obviously it came from in our house. Does anyone know if the larva of a Black Swallow tail would feed on Elephant Ear plants? Also, we are feeding the butterfly and it is doing good, flying limited to slightly damaged wing from the cat before we got to it. I cannot find specific adult lifespan for this Black Swallowtail, I have found a general website that says 3-14 days and another a month.
Any butterfly experts out there?
Adult Butterfly in February from Elephant Ear Bulbs?
I don't suppose there is much chance for catipillars with only one butterfly . . . It must be lonely.
How cool!
Black swallowtails usually lay their eggs on parsley, fennel, carrot, Queen Anne's Lace type plants. Their cats get pretty big, and have big appetites-you should be able to tell where it hatched and fed by taking a good look at your plants. They usually strip their host plant down to nubs. Bring any parsley home lately?
There's a very slight chance that you brought in the pupa already formed, and conditions became right to wake it up to hatch. I'm not 100% certain, but I think I read somewhere that there's a chance they will overwinter in that state if the season runs out on them.
As to how long it'll live, that's hard to say. Not long, unfortunately. I think they need sunlight too- at the butterfly place in MA, the gals who work there told me that the butterflies get lethargic & sleepy in the wintertime when the sun starts to go down in the afternoons.
Whenever I google an insect, I try to find the latin name & google with that- you get more specific information. Good luck & enjoy!
Here is a pic of our winter butterfly!
Tracy, what a treat for you! please post it on the Butterflies & Hummingbirds forum. I'm sure you could get loads of info there, plus they would love to see your treasure.
grampapa,
where do I find the Butterflies&Hummingbirds forum? Can't find it, this site is so large. please help, thanks!
Cool story, Tracy.
Here you go ~ the butterfly forum ~ http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/bbb/all/
Andy P
PS, Look under the tabs next to the Home tab at the top of the page, either the Garden Talk or the Home Talk, when ever you wish to find a forum.
This message was edited Mar 5, 2007 5:09 PM
thanks, Andy. had to go back to work.
Sorry Gram, I guess that was poor E-edicut but I knew the answer, lol.
Work comes before Daves, like it or not.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a202/andy2302/Spring%2007/Shirleys.gif
Andy P
Thanks so much everyone! I found it!
I also just found out I have to be a paid subscriber, darn! Sorry, but I can't subscribe at the moment...
Thanks anyway, Tracy. That's ok. I forget that non-subscribers don't have access to all the forums. how's the butterfly doing?
Tracy, you could ask at www.bugguide.net/ they are very helpful. You have to sign up but it's free.
Andy P
It is day 21 and our butterfly is still alive! He's on me flapping his wings really fast. I read the life expectancy of a Swallowtail adult is 14 days.
The little guy is tattered now, he got caught in one of our cob webs and I found him hanging upside down and flapping away. As of Saturday he looks like this (see photo). I managed to undo the sticky web that "tied" his back legs together.
How do you tell the sex of a butterfly?
Tracy, do you have any flowers for it to feed at?
I had a large wasp survive the entire winter indoors once. I encouraged it onto a piece of paper to move it outdoors on a warm April day. It lived off the tropical Hibiscus, I think.
Andy P
AndyP,
First, I went to the bugguide.net site, thanks for the help!
You had a wasp survive all winter? What did it eat? What is their life expectancy? That's amazing!
I did some research on the internet and the main flowers these guys eat are thistle, not the kind of flower you find at the florist. So I also found that they drink from rotten fruit. I have a small piece of honeydew melon in a teaspoon of water and occasionally add a small drop of honey. It eats about every other day, I will pick it up and if it's mouth unrolls I place it on the spoon and it eats. We did bring in a snowdrop flower and he ignored it, the fake nectar works. My husband and I cannot believe it! We videotaped it so people don't think we're nuts. Even though we are excited it is living so long, we are worried because we leave for a long vacation on March 16. If this little guy is still alive, its like we're abandoning it. We have a couple friends that said they will take care of it, but it really is more of an effort than leaving food out. I just read it back and it sounds silly. Its amazing how you can get attached to a butterfly.
TracyL
So, you need a butterfly sitter, LOL.
I forgot that they sip fruit juice. cool.
If it flew into your house because it wouldn't ask directions, it's a guy..
another good one for dave lol
Wouldn't you know it, it is a guy butterfly. lol
Its because of the amount of gold on the hind wing (females have purple).
Believe it or not, as of this writing he is still alive, very ragged at 26 days of adulthood. Thanks everyone for your comments.
Thanks for the gender/color info, Tracy. I've seen the difference and just thought it was a different kind of Swallowtail. lol
I found out last Summer that the male Praying Mantis has a skinny butt compared to the female. Who knew? ? ?
Andy P
It figures the male has the skinny butt. lol
Our butterfly is still alive and kicking at 29 days.
I debated on how to say that. It was more diplomatic to say the male had the skinny but than to say the female had the f..... ...... LOL
Andy P
Oh, Andy, you are the soul of diplomacy!
Tracy, you must be taking good care of that butterfly :-)
We are back from our vacation and we had a butterfly sitter. She was able to hand feed it. Our beloved butterfly passed on March 29 or 30. About 40 days it lived as an adult in our home. Pretty cool! Looking forward to more butterflies outside as we are finally in spring season. Have a great spring and summer everyone!!!!
What a sweet butterfly mom you were to your little winged friend.
Tracy, You are the best!
Just read this whole thread for the first time and I feel like crying....
xxx, carrie
What a wonderful experience. It says so much about you that your butterfly lived so long in your home.
Great story, Tracy.
Thanks for sharing.
I think this was a great story - you should write it up.