Can you guess who is pictured in photo below?
The answer to last week’s mystery is the zebra swallowtail, Eurytides marcellus, pictured below:
.In Maryland, the zebra swallowtail flies in several broods – in mid-April, early July, and early September. The ones that appear later in the year are larger, darker, and have longer tails than those that emerge in the spring.
This butterfly species is most commonly found where pawpaw grows, in bottomlands of brown water rivers, moist non-riverine swamps, and rich slopes. Male swallowtails usually patrol near host plants searching for females. Small aggregations of patrolling males often form close to mud puddles or moist stream banks.
After mating, females lay single green eggs on the underside of pawpaw leaves or on pawpaw trunks. It takes about one month for a zebra swallowtail to mature from egg to adult.
Swallowtail caterpillars are generally hairless. They have a forked gland called the osmeterium that can protrude from on the back of the head if alarmed.
Noxious juices of the pawpaw ingested by the caterpillar are harbored by the insect, even after it transforms into an adult. These toxins are thought to protect them from predators such as birds.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
#adkinsarboretum #mysterymonday #carolinecountymd
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.