Insects and Spiders

Swallowtail Hatchling

I left this one uncropped so you can see how tiny it is. I have a papertowel on the bottom of the butterfly habitat to keep moisture levels down. And plenty of fresh leaves available. When I went to bed, the baby was still eating the egg.
Unfortunately, the next morning, it was dead. Egg was gone but the baby never moved on to the fresh leaves. No evidence of any disease but it might have been parasitized before I brought the egg inside. I have no way of knowing. I am grateful for what I did get to see and hopeful for another chance someday. This species might be more difficult to raise than monarchs, queens and tersa sphinx with which I've had success.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail hatchling (Papilio glaucus)

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