The pipevine plant is poisonous to most animals, but this species is adapted to the plant’s toxin. In fact, the caterpillars don’t just tolerate the toxin they use it for their own protection.

A giant swallowtail butterfly is large and stunning. Learn what what the caterpillars and adult butterflies look like and where to find them.

Not every pipevine is an acceptable food choice and, unfortunately, the one species of pipevine that is most commonly sold in nurseries is deadly to the caterpillars of the pipevine swallowtail.

Is pipevine poisonous to swallowtail caterpillars? By BARBARA MEDFORD, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, UT June 3, 2008. From: Houston.

Like the pipevine swallowtail, the caterpillars of birdwings eat pipevine and birthwort, ... The caterpillars store the poison in the fleshy, spine-like projections that run down their backs. 1.

Giant swallowtail caterpillars feed on plants in the rue or citrus family (Rutaceae). In southern states, that often means orange trees, and they can be a pest there.

No, it's an orange dog caterpillar, the larvae of the Giant Swallowtail butterfly, which is native to our area. Believe it or not, Digging In: Caterpillars take a bite out of citrus leaves, but ...

The first time I saw a giant swallowtail butterfly years ago, I just happened to walk out to get the mail and saw it nectaring on lantana in my flower bed by the road. What a surprise! This huge pa… ...