Here at Leaning Oaks, this is the earliest of the Swallowtails to make an appearance. Starting in May, males can be seen patrolling the forest edge and garden areas, often sparring with other males. As the name suggests it is the palest of the 3 Swallowtails that we have here. Males are nearly white, females are very pale yellow. The commonest food plant for the caterpillars of Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) on the coast is Red Alder (Alnus rubra), however, it is likely that the Pale Swallowtail here is using Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) as is larval food plant.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsTwo biologists on a beautiful property armed with cameras, smart phones and a marginal knowledge of websites took up the challenge of documenting one species a day on that property. Join along! Posts and photographs by Leah Ramsay and David Fraser (unless otherwise stated); started January 1, 2014. Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|