Yes, even as a baby the Pipevine Swallowtail is out to get you. Most caterpillars are safe to handle, so don’t let these few bad guys scare you away. Other good-tasting butterflies (called "mimics") come to resemble them and thus benefit from this "umbrella" of protection. The adult Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly is a beautiful iridescent blue in color and there are orange spots on the under surface of the wings. Virginia snakeroot, Dutchman’s pipe are good choices for these caterpillars. This rash is not life threatening but it will definitely be unpleasant and a painful experience. Some butterfly species are known to cause skin lesions or conjunctivitis too. Many experts consider all parts of plants of that genus to be toxic. These butterflies start their life as a dark velvety brown or black and bright orange spotted caterpillar. Virginia snakeroot, Dutchman’s pipe are good choices for these caterpillars. The leaves of these plants are toxic, but pipevine swallowtail caterpillars eat them without any harm. It is seen that a clan of caterpillar sometimes kills their main plant. The Pipevine Swallowtail’s nefarious plot begins after it hatches out of its egg. Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar. Like the io moth caterpillars, these buck moth caterpillars live gregariously in their early instars. Birds learn not to eat them. This chemical protection even survives metamorphosis and extends to the adult butterfly. The pipevine plants are nontoxic. Life History: Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. The leaves of these plants are toxic, but pipevine swallowtail caterpillars eat them without any harm. According to BugGuide: “Larvae feed on Aristolochia species. Because right away the young caterpillar starts eating the poisonous plant Aristolochia, which is sometimes called pipevine, Dutchman’s pipe and birthwort. There are several species of caterpillars all around you. Butterfly gardening is a popular pastime in North Texas. The choice of which one(s) to plant is dependent on locality. Some gardeners choose the exotic tropical varieties for their showy flowers, but this can be counter-productive to a … Initially the larva is not venomous. There are tips, however, that can bring more success to your rearing success. How so? Spicebush swallowtail, Papilio troilus L., ... Red bay, sassafras, and spicebush are recommended for spicebush swallowtail caterpillars. By dallasnews Administrator. They feed on the poisonous pipevine plants they’re named after. If … For, Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars eat the leaves of plants in the Pipevine Family, which contain chemicals that are poisonous to most animals, but not the caterpillars. Butterflies Can Be Poisonous? Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. While the predatory birds know not to eat them, they are of no danger to the human beings as they do not have the parts that can cause the sting. Wintering is by the chrysalis. To my eyes, Pipevine is a more accurate name. In an article by the Napa Valley Master Gardeners, we picked up this information on the toxicity of the plant to the pipevine swallowtail. There are also butterflies like Monarch and Pipevine Swallowtail that eat poisonous plants when they are caterpillars and grow up to become poisonous butterflies. The Aristolochea contain the poisonous aristolochic acid, a renal toxin and probable carcinogen. Pipevine swallowtail caterpillars eat only the leaves of plants from the Pipevine Family, that’s what their name comes from. You caterpillar is quite distinctive and we recognized it immediately as the caterpillar of a Pipevine Swallowtail. There are relatively few Lepidoptera species that feed on milkweed, which has poisonous sap that may make the caterpillars themselves poisonous to birds. We need you to answer this question! There are also butterflies like Monarch and Pipevine Swallowtail that eat poisonous plants when they are caterpillars and grow up to become poisonous butterflies.