One of the largest butterflies in North America is a common visitor to the butterfly Garden. It it is the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) and can be identified by the yellow underwings and the wide band of yellow across the back. They flutter as they feed on nectar. The caterpillar, shown in the picture, looks like a bird dropping. You can see the bright red-orange osmeterium that it displays when threatened. The osmeterium emits a strong odor that is offensive to predators but can be perceived as pleasant by humans. When the caterpillar calms down, the osmeterium goes back into its head.
Giant Swallowtail caterpillars are fed Wild Lime at the Butterfly garden. Wild Lime is a native citrus tree that does not produce an edible fruit but the leaves smell of citrus when crushed. The picture shows Wild Lime flowers and the compound leaves that are winged between the leaflets.
The Malachite Butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) is at the very limit of its northen range at the southern tip of Florida where it can be found near citrus groves. It will be raised at the new Butterfly House so that visitors can see this beauty. I had never seen one until I visited the Butterfly House in Cape Coral. Malachite caterpillars eat Wild Petunia (Ruellia species), particularly the invasive Green Shrimp Plant (Ruellia blechum), that originated in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean where the Malachite also lives. The butterfly hangs around citrus groves and other fruit orchards because they like to feed on rotten fruit. They also will feed on dead animals and bat dung.
