![]() Digesting these pollens helps them to absorb protein which gives them extra nutrition and energy for reproduction. They feed on different flowers including lilac, blackberry, verbena and redbud. Male Zebra Swallowtail Butterflies obtain various nutrients through the practice of puddling that help them in reproduction. The caterpillars feed on eggshells after hatching. They also eat the long leaves of their host pawpaw plants. These male butterflies are known to participate in “puddling” which means individual butterflies gathering together on moist soil, gravel and sand to obtain amino acids and salts.During mating seasons, the male butterflies of this species fly swiftly near host plants searching for females.The female Zebra Swallowtail Butterflies fly slowly when looking for appropriate host plants.These butterflies visit various flowers from different families including brassicaceae, lythraceae, apocynaceae, fabaceae, polemoniaceae and rosaceae.This species flies between 2 feet and 6 feet (0.5 and 1.8 meters) above the ground.They have some interesting behavior patterns: Picture 2 – Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar Behavior Some caterpillars even feed on other caterpillars living in the same plants. Their adaptive features help them to survive in their natural habitat: Invertebrates like spiders, ants and different types of wasps feed on this butterfly species. The larvae of this species have an orange y-shaped gland on their neck called osmeterium.The bold black stripes of these butterflies, along with their low erratic flight make it hard for predators to follow and capture them. Unlike many other species swallowtails, this species have shorter proboscis.This gland gives off an unpleasant odor helping them to avoid predators. Due to this reason they prefer flat small flowers. These swallowtail butterflies are found in the northern regions of their distribution range between late March and August. They can be seen in their southern distribution areas between February and December. The male Zebra Swallowtail Butterflies look for mate during warm days near pawpaw plants. After mating the female butterflies find suitable larval host plants to lay eggs. They lay the eggs singly on the leaves or trunks of pawpaw due to the cannibalistic nature of their larvae. This species produces two broods (young produced during one hatching) in the northern regions of their habitat while they have three to four broods in the south. ![]() Picture 3 – Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly Picture Life Cycle The first brood of each reproductive season is the largest in number. The eggs are pale green in the initial stage turning orange-brown as they mature. Young caterpillars are black with light transverse stripes on their body. Older larvae are commonly green banded with white and yellow. Black larvae transversely striped with white and orange are rarer. The larvae take somewhere around a month to develop and turn into an adult butterfly. ![]() They have an average lifespan between 5 and 6 months. ![]() These butterflies are fairly easy to take care of. It is quite entertaining as well as educative to watch them passing through various stages of their lifecycle. Housing: The caterpillars of this species should be housed in their host pawpaw plant. ![]()
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