Natural History Story

My natural history story will focus on the Pipevine Swallowtail. The one I personally saw was located in Brione's regional park and what led me to become interested was that this butterfly was dying from a natural cause from what I could see; old age, so I wanted to learn more about its life history. How did it live and arrive to this station of its lifetime?
The Pipevine Swallowtail is usually black with iridescent blue hind wings, dotted with bright orange spots (on the wings). Their larvae are black or red and only feed on one type of plant, the Pipevine family, which include Dutchman's Pipe and Virginia Snakeroot. They are native to North and Central America, mostly found in forests.
These plants have chemicals in them which makes them toxic and as the caterpillars feed on them, they store the poison in their bodies which then prevents predators from trying to feed on them. This is one clear example for possibly why butterflies developed such vibrant colors as they evolved, to warn predators of their true toxicity and protect their species. For example, there are other species of butterflies that mimic their vibrant colors and size, without truly being poisonous, to fool predators so that they will avoid them as they will think them to be the Pipevine Swallowtail. This is one of their big ecological impacts, to help other species of butterflies similar to them survive with more success. Although they do damage leaves from its host plant, they also help to pollinate other plants as butterflies,
When they are ready to pupate and form a chrysalis, they craw away from their host plant and start their process. As adults they will feed on nectar from plants such as thistles and petunias. When they mate, they will lay their red eggs on a Pipevine plant, passing along its toxins to the eggs to protect them, and begin the process once again.

Here is a very cool video on their life cycle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2cE86AA1q0.

Posted on 20 March, 2014 18:10 by