This is among the list of my favorite insects; the color and the pattern on its skin are just lovely. I usually find this kind of swallowtail caterpillar in a citrus plant like calamansi.
What I particularly like about this is how the red “forked gland” on its’ head come out when sensing danger. This forked gland looks like a snake tongue and releases a foul odor to repel predators.
After days of eating the leaves, they will slowly keep still until they turn into this delicate chrysalis and wait for several weeks until they become a full-pledge butterfly. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture it’s full transformation.
Related articles
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- Black Swallowtail Increasing in 2012? (gardenwalkgardentalk.com)
- Giant Swallowtail Larval Host Plants (eyeonnature.wordpress.com)
- Life: A Metamorphosis (greatgreths.wordpress.com)
the unbearable lightness of being me. 
Beautiful…
thank you.
Extraordinary! I’m looking forward to the butterfly shot when it happens 🙂
OMG, these are amazing!
thank you very much!
These are such awesome shots! Awesome capture 🙂
thank you very much!
Oh, wooooow! Such beautiful little creature. Galing talaga ni God! I’m learning to take pictures and I hope, I hope, someday I’d also be able to take macro shots like this. Maraming salamat sa inspirasyon.
I hope you won’t mind but would you be kind enough to tell me what lens you used for this shot? Thanks in advance.
I’m following your blog because it is such an inspiration.
thank you very much, that just warms my heart! my pleasure… it’s 105mm macro lens.
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