Just the size of a dash or a comma, this tiny Giant Swallowtail enters the world by eating its way out of it’s egg.  Some caterpillars will continue to munch on their empty shell, which makes for a nutritious first meal!Giant Swallowtail CaterpillarWith all major body parts intact from the onset, this miniature muncher is ready and able to do what it does best. Eat!  A caterpillar is equipped with all it needs to be the “Voracious Eating Machine” that Mother Nature intended.

It is thought that caterpillars consume more vegetation than all other insects combined. In fact, a typical caterpillar gains over 3,000 times i’ts body weight. In human terms this would be like a 10 lb. baby becoming a 3,000 lb. adult.  Read more about caterpillars, eggs, chrysalises and butterflies by entering the “Butterfly Dimension” on the Obsession With Butterflies web site.