Swallowtail Butterfly Facts

Swallowtail butterflies are large and colorful butterflies that are found in all the continents of the world, except for Antarctica. There are over 500 species of swallowtails in the world, which together form the Papilionidae family of insects. These species of butterflies are not only larger in size, but also have several other variations as far as their anatomy is concerned. In fact, they are the largest butterflies found in Britain.

Swallowtail Butterflies

Some of the most popular species of swallowtails include Alpine black swallowtail, Asian swallowtail, Black swallowtail, Canadian tiger swallowtail, Giant swallowtail, Eastern tiger swallowtail, Old world swallowtail, Citrus swallowtail, Spicebush swallowtail, Western tiger swallowtail, Zebra swallowtail, etc.

These species are differentiated on the basis of their appearance. The Zebra swallowtail butterfly, for instance, sports black and white stripes like a zebra, while the Canadian Tiger swallowtail sports yellow stripes on its black body. The common trait in all these swallowtail species is the extension at the rear end of their wings, which makes them look like the swallows - and hence the name.

Habitat
A vast majority of the swallowtail species are native to the tropical regions, while a few other species are found in other parts of the world. The butterflies mainly prefer marshy areas and open grasslands, characterized by growth of various species of flowers. Each of the species mentioned above is restricted to a particular area of the world. For instance, the Eastern tiger swallowtail is found in the eastern regions of the United States, while the Alpine black swallowtail is native to Japan, China and South Korea.

Life Cycle
Like most of the other species of butterflies, even swallowtails have a four stage life cycle. These four growth-stages of the butterfly are egg, caterpillar, pupa and adult butterfly.

• Egg: The life of a swallowtail butterfly begins in the form of an egg. The female lays eggs on a tree, so that the larvae gets ample food (in form of leaves) when the eggs are hatched. It takes around 4-5 days for the eggs to hatch.
• Caterpillar: When the caterpillar comes out of the egg, first of all it eats the egg shell, and then continues feeding on the leaves, available in plenty. Swallowtail caterpillars can grow up to a size of 2 inches.
• Pupa: The pupa is predominantly the resting stage for these species, as they transform from caterpillars to full-grown adult butterflies. This stage lasts for about 9 to 11 days.
• Adult: The final stage of the life of the swallowtails is characterized by a development of wings which enables these beautiful insects to fly.

The entire process takes approximately one month to take place. This cycle continues as the adult female butterflies lay eggs, when the conditions are favorable.

Diet
While the caterpillars prefer to feed on plant foliage, adult swallowtails feed on nectar from various flowers in the surroundings. The tongue of these species is specially designed to suck nectar from the flat topped flowers. When not in use this flexible tongue is coiled up into a spiral formation.

Some species of swallowtail butterflies are enlisted in the IUCN red list as the endangered species, and without the implementation of some thorough conservation measures, the chances are that they will become extinct. These are some of the most beautiful creatures found on this planet, and their loss would be felt in a big way as far as the beauty of our planet is concerned.