The tiny Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) larvae have finally begun to go to chrysalis. This afternoon I discovered four caterpillars hanging upside down in preparation for pupation and these two diminutive chrysalis.
The chrysalis show two distinct color variations for the species which help them to better camouflage in the wild. The lighter color chrysalis was tucked in between some dried Frogfruit leaves that were nearly an identical color to the chrysalis. The second chrysalis was positioned low on a stem near to the muddy soil and so well mimicked to color of the mud that I did not see it until I removed the entire stem from the enclosure and laid it on the silver lab table.
Many swallowtails like the Polydamas, Eastern Black, Pipevine have chrysalis color variations that are either green or brown. The shades of green and brown will also vary working to mimic to colors of the chrysalis surroundings. White Peacock butterflies have a green or black form for their chrysalis.
I counted another 27 Phaon Crescent caterpillars that I moved from one enclosure to another with fresh food and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more color variations along the way.
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