Butterflies Worth Knowing Part 7

=The Short-tailed Papilio= _Papilio brevicauda_

Were one enough of a magician to make one b.u.t.terfly over into another it would be comparatively easy to take a Black Swallowtail and transform it into this species. One would only need to trim off the long tails so that they project very slightly from the angles of the hind wings and to change the yellow spots to orange. He would thus accomplish what Nature through the long ages seems to have accomplished in a limited northern area in Newfoundland and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, for the Short-tailed Papilio is confined chiefly to this region, where it lives a life very similar to that of the Black Swallowtail. The caterpillar feeds upon the leaves of various members of the parsley family and is said to have learned to warm itself during the middle of the day by resting upon stones and gravel which have absorbed the sun's heat rays. Presumably there is but one brood a year and the insect hibernates as a chrysalis.

=The Palamedes Swallowtail= _Papilio palamedes_

If the magician who had succeeded in converting a Black Swallowtail into the Short-tailed Papilio wished to try his hand on making a Palamedes Swallowtail he could not do better than to use again the same black b.u.t.terfly. He would only need to make it about one half larger, retaining practically all its color markings and the outline of its wings and tail. For this species bears a remarkable resemblance to the Black Swallowtail, seeming to be a giant variety induced by the warmth of the southern climate where it lives, and possibly by the more generous supply of the magnolia and sa.s.safras leaves upon which the caterpillars feed.

This species is distinctly a southern form occurring as far west as the Mississippi River throughout the more Southern states. As one would expect in the long seasons and warm climate of this region there are several broods each year and the caterpillars often hibernate as well as the chrysalids. The adult b.u.t.terflies are lovers of the sun and are said to roost at night upon the tops of live oak and palmetto trees.

=The Zebra Swallowtail= _Iphiclides ajax_

Most of our Swallowtail b.u.t.terflies are so distinctive in form and colors that they are easily distinguished from one another, but the Zebra species is so different from all the rest that when it is once seen it is likely always to be remembered. The striking combination of green and black stripes with very long tails, set off by beautiful crescents of blue and of red, at once distinguishes this fine b.u.t.terfly in any of its varying forms.

Three distinct forms of this species occur, namely:

_Marcellus_, the early spring form, small in size with short tails, that show white only on the tips;

_Telamonides_, the late spring form, somewhat larger, with tails a little longer and showing more white on the outer half;

_Ajax_, the summer form, decidedly larger with tails very long.

It would be a comparatively simple matter to understand these forms if they were simply seasonal variations, with three broods, each form succeeding the other as the season advances. But this is far from being the case. We have instead the most complicated and confusing series of conditions imaginable--conditions for which no one has yet given satisfactory explanations.

To make a fairly clear statement of what happens, suppose we a.s.sume that we start with twenty over-wintering chrysalids. In April ten of these disclose their b.u.t.terflies which are Marcellus, the early spring form. In May the other ten disclose their b.u.t.terflies which are Telamonides, the late spring form. We thus have these two forms, appearing successively in spring from the same set of over-wintering chrysalids.

After flying about for a short time the Marcellus or early spring Swallowtails lay eggs upon the leaves of papaw trees or bushes. These eggs soon hatch into caterpillars that feed upon the leaves and grow rather rapidly. A little more than a month later they mature into b.u.t.terflies which are Ajax, the summer form.

In a similar way the Telamonides or late spring b.u.t.terflies lay eggs soon after they appear, also upon papaw leaves, and these eggs in about a month mature into Ajax, the summer form.

So we have Ajax, the summer form, developing directly from both the early spring or Marcellus and the late spring or Telamonides b.u.t.terflies.

These Ajax b.u.t.terflies in their turn lay eggs for caterpillar young.

These soon mature into a brood of b.u.t.terflies which are of this same Ajax form. There may be successive broods through the summer, practically all of them being this same Ajax summer form.

The last brood of caterpillars, however, change to chrysalids which do not disclose the b.u.t.terflies until the following spring. And then the first that come out are the Marcellus form and the last the Telamonides form. So we may have these two forms maturing from the same brood of autumn caterpillars.

This seems a sufficiently complicated life-history to suit the most persistent solver of puzzle problems, but there is an additional factor which adds much to the possible confusion of the broods. In each brood of caterpillars from the earliest to the latest there are a certain number of chrysalids which remain dormant through the remainder of the season and the following winter, maturing into b.u.t.terflies the next spring. Consequently at the end of every winter there are a miscellaneous lot of chrysalids which represent every brood of caterpillars that lived the previous season, and all of these develop into either Marcellus or Telamonides b.u.t.terflies.

Such a condition of affairs certainly represents what an old New Englander would be likely to call a "mixed-up mess," and it is difficult for science to find rhyme or reason to explain it. It speaks eloquently for the perseverance of W. H. Edwards that he was able with infinite patience through years of study and experiment to untangle this intricate web of b.u.t.terfly existence.

While the preferred food plant of this species is papaw, the caterpillars are also known to feed upon the spice bush and upland huckleberry. When full grown these caterpillars are about two inches long and of a general pea-green color, banded transversely with yellow and black, and having an especially conspicuous band of this sort on the third ring behind the head. The scent organs are protruded when the larva is disturbed and emit an offensive odor. The chrysalids are green or brown according to the surroundings.

The Zebra Swallowtail is a southern b.u.t.terfly found as far west as Texas and the Rocky Mountains and having its northern limits in a zone ranging approximately from Ma.s.sachusetts to Nebraska. It is especially abundant in the Southern states east of the Mississippi River.

Mr. S. F. Denton found this species abundant in southern Ohio where the females laid their eggs upon the small papaw bushes. They selected the leaves of these bushes for sleeping quarters, "clinging to the under side of the leaves where early in the morning they might be taken with the fingers."

_Other Swallowtails_

Several other Swallowtail b.u.t.terflies are found within the limits of the United States, especially in the Far West and along the southern boundaries. Some of these occasionally migrate east or north so that they are collected in the Central states. Thus _Papilio daunus_, _P.

oregonia_, and _P. zolicoan_ are all found in the "List of Nebraska b.u.t.terflies," published by Mr. H. G. Barber, and the same species have been taken in other states in or near the Mississippi Valley. These and various others are described and pictured in Dr. Holland's excellent "b.u.t.terfly Book."

_Synopsis of the Swallowtails_

_Tiger Swallowtail_: _Yellow form_ (_Papilio glaucus turnus_). Expanse 3 1/2 to 5 inches. Upper surface of wings bright yellow with each black margin marked with a row of yellow spots. Both s.e.xes throughout its range. _Black form_ (_Papilio glaucus glaucus_). Black all over with blue markings on outer half of hind wings and row of straw-yellow crescents on borders of same. Females only, and only south of about lat.i.tude 40 degrees.

_Giant Swallowtail_ (_Papilio thoas_ or _Papilio cresphontes_).

Expanse 4 to 5 1/2 inches. Upper surface black with two bands of yellow starting at the inner margin of the hind wings and coming together as a row of yellow spots at the outer angles of each front wing. A yellow spot on each black tail. Under surface yellow.

_Zebra Swallowtail_. Expanse 3 to 3 1/2 inches. Easily known by the stripes of green upon black and the long, slender tails. The different forms vary in size and in the length of the tails. Scientific names are: Early Spring Form, _Iphiclides ajax marcellus_; Late Spring Form, _I. ajax telamonides_; Summer Form, _I. ajax ajax_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _From a photograph from life by A. H. Verrill_ _See pages 7, 67_

CATERPILLARS OF THE GREEN-CLOUDED SWALLOWTAIL In various stages of growth]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photographed from life_ _See page 83_

IMPORTED CABBAGE b.u.t.tERFLY]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photographed from life_ _See page 215_

BLUE-EYED GRAYLING VISITING JOE PYE WEED (Magnified)]

_Green-clouded Swallowtail_ (_Papilio troilus_). Expanse 3 1/2 to 4 inches. Black with about seven yellowish spots on outer margin of each front wing and eight marginal spots on each hind wing, those at the ends of row orange, the rest yellowish or bluish. Outer half of hind wings clouded with greenish blue. Under surface black with two distinct rows of yellowish spots on front wings and two rows of orange spots on hind wings.

_Blue Swallowtail_ (_Laertias philenor_, often called _Papilio philenor_). Expanse about 4 inches. Black or brownish black with most of hind wings showing a bluish green iridescence. A row of marginal spots on each hind wing, more or less distinct on the front wings.

Outer fringe with broad white markings interrupted by black ones.

Under surface of each hind wing with seven large orange spots, some with partial borders of white.

_Black Swallowtail_ (_Papilio polyxenes_ or _Papilio asterias_).

Expanse about 3 inches. Black with two conspicuous rows of yellow spots on outer half of wings, more distinct in males. On hind wings rows of blue spots or splashes between the yellow ones. Orange-red circle with black centre at inner angle of each hind wing. Under surface with markings more distinct and more orange-yellow.

_Short-tailed Swallowtail_ (_Papilio brevicauda_). Much like the Black Swallowtail but generally smaller, with very short tails, and with the yellow markings more or less changed to orange. Confined to the limited region of Newfoundland and the lands bordering the Gulf of the St. Lawrence.

_Palamedes Swallowtail_ (_Papilio palamedes_). Expanse 4 to 4 1/2 inches. Much like the Black Swallowtail but considerably larger. A curved yellow line on the head back of each eye. Found only in the South.

THE WHITES, ORANGE-TIPS, AND YELLOWS

FAMILY _Pieridae_