Metamorphosis of Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)

The Swallowtail; one of our most wellknown and most beautiful butterflies. Here you can see the complete lifecycle from egg to butterfly.


Mating	Laying eggs	So that you can imagine the sizes I added this scale. All photos that represent this scale are marked: scale *.	This is a fresh egg. Initially it is pale yellow. The hostplants are various species of umbelliferae. 04/26/92, 19:00 scale *

Already in a few days the color changes. 04/28/92, 18:00	Short before hatching out the egg's color changes into a dark blue. 05/02/92, 11:50	The time has come: The caterpillar broaches the eggshell. 05/02/92, 12:50

	Here you can see the neck-fork (Osmeterium). It strews a bad tasting smell to chase away predators. 05/02/92, 13:00	The first food is the eggshell.	Life can begin! The caterpillar's first dress is black with a white "saddle". It imitates bird's excrements to hide from predators. 05/02/92, 15:45 scale *

The metamorphosis of a Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)