http://www.kaggle.com/c/yoy-mimics-2022
Due to their appetite for introduced garden plants, Black Swallowtail caterpillars can be viewed as a pest by some herb gardeners.
Plants of the Carrot family including: Parsley, Dill, Fennel, Queen Anne's Lace, Cowbane, Chervil
Monarchs are strong fliers and can fly 1000km without stopping. Some monarchs cross 600km of open ocean migrating to their overwintering sites in Mexico. Some Monarch populations migrate from Canada to Mexico and back.
Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed, sequestering cardiac glycoside toxins.
The Monarch was declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on 22 July 2022.
Milkweeds and other plants of the Dogbane family. Mowing and human intrusion is negatively impacting milkweed availability and may be affecting Monarch populations.
- Viceroy Butterfly
- Queen (ventral wing only, a tropical butterfly)
Pipevine is a native deciduous vine with large, heart-shaped leaves. Some gardeners plant it to encourage butterfly activity. The pipevine caterpillar consumes plants and sequesters the toxic aristolochic acid making them distasteful to birds.
Patent medicine salesman of the American Wild West sold medicines made from the snakeroot plant. Whether this is the source of "snake oil" or it was actual oil from snakes, is not entirely clear. In any case, birds have clearly seen no medicinal benefit in eating the Pipevine Swallowtail.
Plants in the Birthwort family, including: Dutchman's Pipe and Virginia Snakeroot.
- Black Swallowtail
- Spicebush Swallowtail
- Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (dark form female)
- Diana Fritillaries
- Red-spotted
- Purples
Spicebush Swallowtails are a threatened butterfly species due to introduced Laurel Wilt Fungus that kills their host plants. Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars, as with most caterpillars, will not survive if they are unable to feed on their host plants.
Spicebush, Sassafras Tree, Red Bay, Camphor Tree
Female Tiger Swallowtails have either a yellow, intermediate, or dark color form. All male Tiger Swallowtails are yellow. In butterflies the chromosomes are opposite of mammals. Female butterflies have the XY chromosomes and with Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, the gene for color is on the Y chromosome. Dark colored females give birth to dark colored females and do not have yellow female offspring. In parts of North America, female yellow Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are rare giving evidence of the effectiveness of mimicry.
Tulip Poplar, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Black Cherry, Green Ash
Viceroys are not related to Monarch butterflies. They effectively mimic Monarchs and it is not unusual to find publications about Monarchs incorrectly showing a picture of a Viceroy instead.
Viceroys are from the genus of Admiral butterflies and Monarchs are from the genus of Milkweed butterflies. Viceroys use many defenses during their lifecycle to avoid being eaten. Caterpillars mimic bird droppings and eat willows which make them distasteful. Adult butterflies mimic Monarchs.
Willows, Cottonwood
Copyright © 2022 Keith Pinson