Two-Tailed Swallowtail -- Papilio multicaudata
***Overwintering pupae. Keep cool on a natural light cycle, and fridge per overwintering blog instructions at Thanksgiving.
****Shipping only to Oregon, Washington State, Idaho, Utah, and California USA
The second largest butterfly in North America, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest. These are quite a sight!
Common in the dry desert regions in Eastern Washington and Oregon south into Mexico, the larvae feed on Chokecherry and also ornamental Ash trees.
There is one main late spring/early summer flight in Oregon, with a second smaller flight in mid-August.
Item Details:
- You will receive one Two Tailed Swallowtail chrysalis, inspected for quality and weight before shipping.
- Chrysalis is diapausing (sleeping through the winter for eclosion in SPRING 2021). Keep in a cool place, and follow overwintering instructions at the end of November.
- We guarantee shipping a live chrysalis. Because this is a live animal, there are no other guarantees after shipment.
- We recommend ordering two (2) or more chrysalids, as occasionally one won't make it through winter/fridge. This is rare, but does occur in nature from time to time.
General Directions in spring, if the chrysalid is overwintered in the fridge:
- Keep inside in a pop-up tent/rearing cage (also available on our site), on top of paper towel.
- Mist every couple of days, as inside air is quite dry.
- Chrysalis should eclose (hatch) in 3-6 weeks.
- Wild release
- There are many resources and online groups to handle questions about live butterflies and pupae care. Send us an email if you get stuck :)
More in depth instructions and discussion: