Surprisingly Strange Spicebush Swallowtail

[@BackyardEcology]

Oops! We goofed! We misidentified the female spicebush swallowtail in the comparison pic with the male and it is actually a female dark form eastern tiger swallowtail. We have posted a picture of a female spicebush swallowtail on our community tab and it can be seen here: kzbin.infoUgkx0Og5u4XYM7FikfwKfwrPnxCujF1RUfGB Sorry for any confusion.

[@flowerluv-xh6kn3jl8l]

Yes, I'm interested in more videos on how to ID butterflies

[@ashtro_4043]

"Catter pie Pokemon" 😂

[@janetconnors4591]

I was thinking the little tongue thing was drawn on 😂. You're fun to bee with 🐝

[@kryptikus29]

This is such an amazingly detailed video about these guys! They are stunning to see!

[@BackyardEcology]

Glad you liked it!

[@BackyardEcology]

Have you ever encountered the strange but awesome spicebush swallowtail caterpillar? Please let us know about your experience! Also, be sure to check out our online classes: shannontrimboli.com/events/category/classes/

[@rangerjaxmaxmay7742]

Yes, in Fremantle Western Australia.

[@LindaSonntagS]

That was so interesting! We have the spicebush butterflies, but I haven’t seen spicebush on our property. We have seen females, but haven’t noticed the greenish male. Paying more attention for sure!

[@BackyardEcology]

Fall and winter are the best times to look for spicebush as the red berries are easy to spot. Green berries should be present by mid summer but take a bit more looking to see. Wooded north and east facing slopes are good places to search for spicebush.

[@LindaSonntagS]

A talk about the different swallowtails would be great!

[@BackyardEcology]

@@LindaSonntagS Keep an eye out for one coming in the near future!

[@krishnabauer3319]

Thanks a lot for very informative video ....I discovered them today on our young lime plants ...

[@BackyardEcology]

Thank you! On a lime the caterpillars are likely the closely related giant swallowtail. It uses plants in the citrus family as a host plant.

[@rangerjaxmaxmay7742]

I found the adorable Caterpillar on the Virginia Creeper at my friend's house [in Fremantle, Western Australia] & it looks the same as this Swallowtail one. We also seem to have the same Caterpillar but Brown, according to the Sustainable gardening Australia site. thankyou.

[@BackyardEcology]

There are many species of swallowtail butterflies and they are found worldwide, so what you found is likely the caterpillar of a different, but similar species.

[@PlantNative]

It was so sad when my county sprayed for mosquitoes this summer and killed the SB caterpillar.

[@BackyardEcology]

The insecticides sprayed to kill mosquitos kill so much more than just the mosquitos it is being applied for.

[@PlantNative]

It hurt so much that I’m now in a master gardener training program so I can spread the word as far and wide as I can.

[@karengroh6256]

I appreciate your videos!

[@BackyardEcology]

Thanks!

[@BrandywineGarden]

Thank you for creating this video! It was informative and playful. To your point about the osmeterium - I observed this organ on black swallowtails feeding on my parsley plants. I was curious about the caterpillar’s texture and gently rubbed its back - the caterpillar curled backwards and revealed the osmeterium. Although I did not observe a foul odor. SE Pennsylvania (7a)

[@BackyardEcology]

Cool! I tried getting more than one spicebush swallowtail caterpillar to display but none of them were having any part of it.

[@christinarennich5092]

Fantastic video! Thank you.

[@BackyardEcology]

Glad you liked it!

[@blueart13]

Thanks!

[@BackyardEcology]

Thank you so much!

[@riverstyx7251]

That extreme closeup didn’t do my bug fear any favors. Had to go down a rabbit hole to make sure it was only 2 inches long and not a whole foot

[@BackyardEcology]

They are harmless little bugs, and super cute when you see them out munching leaves.

[@gvg52]

I saw a female spicebush swallowtail on my spicebush yesterday (late August, close to Niagara Falls, ON)). Your video is excellent, but I have a question: At what time of year can I expect to find the caterpillar?

[@BackyardEcology]

It is going to depend on location. Here in KY I find them from early summer until mid to late summer. Some areas may only have one batch of caterpillars, farther south there may be multiple broods.

[@gvg52]

@@BackyardEcology Thanks!

[@hairywitch4063]

I do I do want to see a video on all the different swallowtail butterflies.

[@BackyardEcology]

Stay tuned!

[@nancynoll4716]

Id love to see the difference between the swallow tails. Thanks.

[@BackyardEcology]

Stay tuned! It is in the works.

[@WaggleWurm]

CUTEE