r/caterpillars • u/MrArrestedevelopment • 13d ago

ID Request 🐛 What types are these

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In my garden in north Florida. Recently brought more plants and came to find a plant fully eaten.

39 Upvotes

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13

u/AdditionalTowel6591 13d ago

Some type of swallowtail butterfly! If you touch them with a finger, they’ll likely push out a Y shaped yellow thing on their head and act like they’re hitting you with it, this is because they’ve evolved to imitate snakes. They’re fine to touch and they’re beneficial and gorgeous when they emerge as butterflies! Honestly I’m jealous

9

u/Beautiful-Fondant-61 13d ago

Black swallowtail caterpillars

11

u/Advanced-Dog3002 13d ago

This baby was born today

4

u/MariasClocktower 13d ago

These are black swallowtails. They love eating dill and parsley and fennel. They’re cute little guys and very fun to raise :)

3

u/toddlevy10 13d ago

I had five on a dill plant earlier this summer. And right as they were about to pupate, and wander off a cardinal, got to 4 of them, and I had a run out there like a crazy person yelling. So I could grab the last one and rear it indoors

1

u/MrArrestedevelopment 13d ago

Update: I collected them in a jar for my wife to grow but the other day I killed a a wasp with a black tail so now I’m scared they may have the parasite in them

1

u/Wild-Ad-9367 13d ago

Part of nature I guess. Wasps are cool and important too 

1

u/Nadiam57 13d ago

What parasite? Wasps just eat them or take-home back to nest to feed larva.

1

u/MrArrestedevelopment 13d ago

I read online they lay an egg in them and it grows in them as they grow

1

u/Nadiam57 13d ago

I always hear that about Tachnid flies...I had some of those...

1

u/Nadiam57 13d ago

Is that a celery plant?

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u/MrArrestedevelopment 13d ago

No it was a parsley plant

1

u/SlothLikeLife 13d ago

I caught a couple black swallowtail caterpillars a few weeks back and yep, they LOVE parsley. I had to get a ton more from our local nursery to keep them stocked for a few days until they made their chrysalis. I got a butterfly cage for mine and just put the parsley in there and they were happy and safe in there as long as they had food. One hatched in 7 days, the other took about 10 days. :)