The most beautiful caterpillar is machaon

Caterpillar machaon is a butterfly macheon's larva, an insect from the Lepidoptera group. Basically, all such caterpillars feed on vegetation, but one can also find "gourmets" who do not disdain mushrooms and animal remains. Although such individuals are extremely rare, but nevertheless they are.

Caterpillar butterfly mahaon is very unloved by people engaged in agricultural activities, as it is not only very large, but also gluttonous. It can significantly damage the crop. The larva also did not like the fact that it is capable of spoiling articles made of wool.

Without insurance anywhere

Like any other butterfly larvae, the caterpillar mahaon, can distinguish a thin but strong silk thread. Usually they use it to tighten the cocoon to the support on which the pupa will be located. But this thread has another application. When a caterpillar mahaon creeps on the ground or a plant, it always leaves behind a thin barely visible thread of silk, which serves as a kind of insurance. Thus, when a caterpillar breaks from a leaf, it will not fall down, but hang on this pre-prepared "lair".

Distinctive features

The caterpillar mahaon has a green color, diluted with black bands and dots of yellow color. Such color is not found in other species of caterpillars, but this is not the main feature of this species. The most important distinguishing feature on which the caterpillar butterfly mahaon can be distinguished from any other, is the bright orange and sometimes even red horns. In a state of rest they are hidden, and they are not visible, but it is only a caterpillar that is a little excited, as these horns are rapidly straightened, thereby repelling other insects or small birds. And for the sake of persuasiveness, they can sometimes give off odoriferous substances, and then the caterpillar is hardly likely to be eaten by anyone.

Evolution

As soon as the larva hatch from the egg, it immediately begins to eat, and there are in very large quantities. They feed on such plants as parsley, cow and other umbellate and composite. By the end of the summer, the caterpillar grows and becomes so fat that it simply can not eat anymore and does not move much. As soon as such a moment comes, the larva attaches to the stem, hangs upside down and eventually turns into a pupa, sharpened in a cocoon. The cocoon itself usually has a brown or light brown color. In this form, the pupa is found all winter, and in the spring, as soon as everything around is dissolved, it turns into a beautiful magnificent butterfly mahaon.

On the verge of extinction

To date, in some areas these butterflies and caterpillars are listed in local Red Books. This is due to their taste preferences, which include, for example, dill. That's why most people destroy caterpillars and remove them from their sites, because if they do not, they can significantly reduce the yield of greenery. Thus, if you see this cute motley caterpillar on your site, do not kill it, because it is not only very rare. From this "minke whale" one day a beautiful butterfly appears. Want to see what the caterpillar of a machaon looks like? Photos are presented in this article.