Larva of the spotted swordtail butterfly

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On a seemingly simple green leaf, a spotted swordtail butterfly caterpillar, or larva, was crawling slowly. Its movements were slow and deliberate, as if it didn't want to disturb the world around it. Its small, segmented body was covered in simple brown and white colors. It continued to walk on the leaf. I was a little wary when photographing it, afraid it might jump. But fortunately, it ignored me and continued to slowly move forward.

Today, the caterpillar looked scary and greedy, so many people didn't want to see it. Sometimes, its presence was even considered disturbing. But in two or three weeks, it would become a beautiful creature, admired by many. It would already have wings with patterns that could hypnotize everyone.

This caterpillar doesn't immediately become a butterfly, it must go through another, more terrifying phase of its life. Even scarier than the one we see now. If no predators attack it, it will probably enter the terrifying stage of its life, the chrysalis in a few days. The room is narrow and dark.

Latin nameGraphium nomius
Observation date19 Apr, 2026
Camera usedrealme 7 Pro
Photographersreachdreams@reachdreams
LocationAceh, Indonesia
Link to original community

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/351012658

LatitudeLongitudeMap
4.69513596.7493993https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=4.695135&mlon=96.7493993
Larva of the spotted swordtail butterfly | Ecency