Anise Swallowtail Butterflies

Anise Swallowtail Butterflies

Long Beach, CA

July - August, 2010

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Tuesday, 6 July, 2010

Caterpillars
  
The kid found these caterpillars on the fennel in the garden today - can anyone identify them?


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Wednesday, 7 July, 2010

 Thanks, Boston Jane, but I don't think these are Monarch butterly catterpillars - no milkweed plants in this 'hood.

The color was kind of sucky yesterday, so here's a better one from today.





This picture, while blurry, shows the little orange "horns" that pop out of the top of the caterpillar's head when the kid tries to pick it up.


Can anyone identify this caterpillar?


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Thursday, 8 July, 2010

Reader Answer

Caterpillar Identified

 Hi Marty,

I love a challenge. This link will show your caterpillar is the 4th instar of the Anise Swallowtail, a western specialty. I thought it was some kind of swallowtail when I saw the pic on Tuesday, but assumed someone would have answered by now. There are several pics on the page, including one with the "horns" which are called osmeteria; these are glands that secrete a noxious substance to discourage predators but which are ineffective on teenage boys.

Hope the pics come over your dial-up OK.


Steve


Thanks, Steve!
Wow! That's it!
The kid has found 7 of them (so far).
Here's today's picture.


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Friday, 9 July, 2010



Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar
Day 4



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Saturday, 10 July, 2010



Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 5



 




3 for the price of 1



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Sunday, 11 July, 2010



Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 6



 


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Monday, 12 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 7



  



  


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Tuesday, 13 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 8



 



 


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Wednesday, 14 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 9



 



  
The day started off well - one of the caterpillars pupated into a chrysalis, hanging from a branch of the plumbago bush.



Went out after dinner to take another picture and was just in time to see this wasp fly away with a large chunk of chrysalis, leaving about half of a hollow shell.



Did another head count. Originally there were 7, but could only find 3. The kid, who has much better eyesight, found a 4th, who was in the process of forming a chrysalis.
We're debating the next step. Since they don't feed once they make their cocoon, we may cut the plant and place the stalk in a terrarium until the butterfly emerges.


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Thursday, 15 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 10



The remaining 3 caterpillars.



The kid cut the branch and placed the latest chrysalis in a terrarium to keep it safe from the wasps.


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Friday, 16 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 11








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Saturday, 17 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 12



Then there were 2.


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Sunday, 18 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 13



Then there were 2


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Monday, 19 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 14



Then there was 1





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Tuesday, 20 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 15



 
The last caterpillar starts to pupate in the terrarium



The 'first' chrysalis - 1 week old


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Wednesday, 21 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 15



Chrysalis on bottom left is 8 days old, chrysalis in upper right is almost 1 day old.


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Thursday, 22 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 16



Chrysalis on bottom left is 9 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 2 days old.


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Friday, 23 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 17



Chrysalis on bottom left is 10 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 3 days old.


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Saturday, 24 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 18



Chrysalis on bottom left is 11 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 4 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 11 days old, chrysalis on the right is 4 days old.


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Sunday, 25 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 19



Chrysalis on bottom left is 12 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 5 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 12 days old, chrysalis on the right is 5 days old.


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Monday, 26 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 20



Chrysalis on bottom left is 13 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 6 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 13 days old, chrysalis on the right is 6 days old.


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Tuesday, 27 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 21



Chrysalis on bottom left is 14 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 7 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 14 days old, chrysalis on the right is 7 days old.


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Wednesday, 28 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 22



 
Chrysalis on bottom left is 15 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 8 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 15 days old, chrysalis on the right is 8 days old.


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Thursday, 29 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 23



Chrysalis on bottom left is 16 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 9 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 16 days old, chrysalis on the right is 9 days old.


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Friday, 30 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 24



Chrysalis on bottom left is 17 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 10 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 17 days old, chrysalis on the right is 10 days old.


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Saturday, 31 July, 2010


Anise Butterfly caterpillars
Day 25



Chrysalis on bottom left is 18 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 11 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 18 days old, chrysalis on the right is 11 days old.


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Sunday, 1 August, 2010


Anise Butterfly Chrysalis'
Day 26



Chrysalis on bottom left is 19 days old, chrysalis in upper right is 12 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is 19 days old, chrysalis on the right is 12 days old.


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Monday, 2 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 27



Chrysalis on bottom left is empty, chrysalis in upper right is 13 days old.




 
Chrysalis on the left is empty, chrysalis on the right is 13 days old.




Anise Swallowtail Butterfly - formerly the chrysalis on the left.


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Tuesday, 3 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 28




 
One chrysalis, two views - 14 days old.




Anise Swallowtail Butterfly - 'hatched' 08/01/10


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Wednesday, 4 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 29




 
One chrysalis, two views - 15 days old.




Anise Swallowtail Butterfly - 'hatched' 08/01/10


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Thursday, 5 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 30




 
One chrysalis, two views - 16 days old.




Anise Swallowtail Butterfly - 'hatched' 08/01/10
released 08/01/10


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Friday, 6 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 31




 
One chrysalis, two views - 17 days old.


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Saturday, 7 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 32




 
One chrysalis, two views - 18 days old.


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Sunday, 8 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 33




 
One chrysalis, two views - 19 days old.




 
One chrysalis, two views - 19 days old (6 hours later)




These are probably the last chrysalis pictures - should have a new butterfly sometime Sunday


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Monday, 9 August, 2010


Anise Swallowtail Butterfly
Day 34




Two chrysalis', both empty




 
The last Anise Swallowtail Butterfly 'hatched' today
Top-side (L), from the bottom (R)




Released 08/08/10




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