It was in the hardwood hammock at NATL, one of my favorite natural places in Gainesville. The neatest caterpillar I saw today was not at the plant sale. When used properly, butterfly host plants will be eaten!īird Poop or Caterpillar? Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar on Orange Tree You need to keep this in mind when you're growing a butterfly garden. They are considered pests in the citrus industry, because the caterpillars eat the leaves of the host plant.
Giant Swallowtails feed on plants in the citrus family. The caterpillars look like a big blob of bird poop. They're even shiny, which makes it look wet. No one wants to eat bird poop-great disguise. I didn't see any of these at the sale, either, although they were selling Wild Lime, which is one of the host plants. A disease called Red Bay Laurel Wilt is killing most of the Red Bay trees in the South, and may also attack Florida Avocados, members of the same plant family.Īnother caterpillar that uses disguise for protection is the Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar. It's a cool bit of trickery! Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillars feed on trees of the Laurel family, and so the host plant specificity may be a problem for them in the future. Too bad! The caterpillars are really neat! They have large eye spots on their heads, and they can hold their heads in a way that make them look like a snake. I didn't see any Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars at the Museum, although there were bay trees for sale. Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar on Passion Flower Zebra Longwing Caterpillar on Passion Flower Polydamas Caterpillars on Dutchman's Pipe They also have Dutchman's Pipe Vines, each covered with ravenous Polydamas caterpillars. Every planter I saw came ready with at least one caterpillar! Instant butterfly garden! They offer milkweed with Monarchs, fennel with Black Swallowtails, and passion flower with Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary caterpillars. The Museum is selling planters filled with a variety of host and nectar plants. Monarch laying eggs on Milkweed Caterpillar eating Milkweed Other butterflies and moths also have specific plants that are the only food their caterpillars will feed on. The orange and black color of the adult butterfly tells potential predators that they are toxic, too. Animals that eat them will get sick, so after trying once, they learn not to eat the caterpillars. The caterpillars eat the toxic plant and become toxic themselves. Monarch butterflies only feed on milkweed plants.
There were also lots and lots of caterpillars because there were host plants for sale, too. To create a butterfly garden, you need to provide flowers for the butterflies to get nectar, and you also have to provide a food source for the larva (caterpillars). There were lots and lots of butterflies! We even had a clearwing hummingbird moth buzzing around the plumbago. It's pretty impressive to see how many butterflies will suddenly appear in a parking lot if you load it with their nectar and larval host plants. I had a lot of fun helping people choose new plants for their yards amidst the beautiful colors and happy butterflies that were drawn to the delectable flowers, shrubs and trees. They have a great selection of plants, both native and exotic (but not invasive) that are guaranteed to attract butterflies to your yard. I volunteered today at the Florida Museum of Natural History Butterfly Festival Plant Sale.
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