Papilio brevicauda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Papilio brevicauda |
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| Elliston, Newfoundland and Labrador | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: |
P. brevicauda
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| Binomial name | |
| Papilio brevicauda Saunders, 1869
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The short-tailed swallowtail (Papilio brevicauda) is an eye-catching butterfly found in eastern North America. It belongs to the large swallowtail family. Scientist William Wilson Saunders first described this insect in 1869. Many people love watching it fly along windy northern coastlines.
Contents
What Does the Short-tailed Swallowtail Look Like?
This insect looks very similar to the male black swallowtail butterfly. However, its tails are noticeably shorter. The tips of its forewings are also much rounder.
Its large wings are mainly black with striking patterns. A wide band of bright spots stretches across each wing. In many areas, these spots look bright yellow or warm orange. Butterflies found in the western parts of their range keep a pure yellow shade. Underneath, the wings show lovely splashes of orange and soft blue scales.
Where Does the Short-tailed Swallowtail Live?
This butterfly makes its home along the rocky shores of eastern Canada. You can often spot it near breezy ocean beaches and high cliffs.
Strong ocean breezes are common in these coastal places. Luckily, this insect is an exceptionally powerful flyer. Harsh winds do not stop it from zooming along the coast. It loves open headlands filled with sunny wild plants. It especially thrives near plants belonging to the wild parsley family (Apiaceae).
Flight Season
Adult butterflies do not fly all year long. Instead, they take to the air during early summer. People usually spot them flying from mid-June through July.
Life Cycle and Growing Up
Like all butterflies, this creature undergoes complete metamorphosis in four stages. These stages are the egg, larva, chrysalis, and adult.
Finding Mates and Laying Eggs
Male butterflies look for females by waiting on high hilltops. This behavior gives them a great view of incoming visitors.
After mating, a female finds a safe host plant. She lays each round egg one by one on green leaves. At first, each egg looks cream-colored. Soon, a reddish-brown ring appears around its center.
The Hungry Caterpillar
A tiny larva hatches from the egg. This young caterpillar eats hungry amounts of green leaves. Its body turns pale green or cream-colored as it grows.
Bold black bands wrap around each body segment. Bright yellow spots dot these black bands. Caterpillars living on Cape Breton Island have pretty orange spots instead. These bright colors warn hungry predators to stay far away.
The Resting Chrysalis
When fully grown, the caterpillar transforms into a chrysalis. The shell is usually green or rich dark brown.
Winter brings very cold weather to northern shores. The resting pupa survives by entering winter dormancy. It stays completely safe until warm spring sunshine returns.
Most short-tailed swallowtails produce just one brood of young each year. Sometimes, warm weather allows a smaller second brood to appear.
Important Host Plants
Caterpillars rely entirely on specific plants for food. Mother butterflies search carefully for these exact plant varieties:
- Scotch lovage (Ligusticum scoticum)
- Cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) and other cow parsnip species
- Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea)
- Seacoast angelica (Angelica lucida)
- Chinese hemlock-parsley (Conioselinum chinense)
- Wild and garden celery (Apium graveolens)
- Queen Anne's lace and wild carrot (Daucus carota)
- Garden parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
- Garden parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Scotch lovage remains their absolute favorite snack in the wild. Protecting these seaside plants keeps these lovely butterflies flying happily every summer.
