2 MILLION BLOSSOMS


“Puddling” by pipevine swallowtails, the noxious tasting 


gives black swallowtails some protection from birds. Females are better mimics than males and therefore probably derive greater protection. Other animals, most often ants or spiders, prey on black


swallowtail caterpillars. Though they look soft and helpless, the caterpillars have surprising defense mechanisms. When disturbed, the caterpillar everts an osmetarium, which re-          - ment of its thorax. This forked appendage stinks, emitting a foul-smelling mixture of carbon-based acids. The caterpillar tries to smear the potential predator, an insect version of protective mace. Experiments have demonstrated that this caterpillar mace repels ants, small spiders, and even preying mantids.


What Can You Observe? “What are they doing?” my neighbor asked as we stood


 chaotic.” “It’s not really chaotic,” I reassured her. “Just watch for a


bit, and you’ll see them feed, rest, and mate.”      


         reproduction. You’ll often see them land on leaves. Sometimes they


36


       nearby. She’s most likely a female looking for a place to safely deposit eggs. - icals to identify good host plants. Plant oils evaporate from the leaves and the scent attracts the females. When she lands, she “drums” on the leaf, tapping her front legs on the leaf to “taste” it. (Yes, she has taste receptors on her feet.) When a female decides the plant is a good place to ovi- posit, she curls her abdomen down and lays an egg on the plant. Black swallowtails prefer to lay eggs on the tops of young shoots, but usually only one egg at a time. An individ- ual female lays from 200 to 400 eggs in her lifetime. Imag-  about two weeks! Sometimes you’ll catch sight of a male searching for a


mate. Females are often a rare resource, so males spend con- siderable time “patrolling,” or looking for a mate and defend-   rather lazily above vegetation, it might well be a male hunting   will approach it for a closer inspection. If the visitor is anoth- er male, he will attempt to chase it away, protecting his most desirable hilltop where swallowtails prefer to mate. But if the 


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