The caterpillar eats the leaves of the host plant.
It will rest on a silk pad on a leaf, with the edges of the leaf folded over itself and held together with silk.
The first three instars are brown.
A large white spot, known as a saddle, is found on the abdomen.
After molting to the fourth instar, the caterpillar becomes green.
The swollen thorax has two black, yellow, and blue eyespots.
These eyespots are much smaller than those of the similar-looking spicebush swallowtail caterpillar.
A yellow and black transverse stripe is present between the first and second abdominal segments.
It is concealed between the folds of the segments when the caterpillar is at rest.
The abdomen is spotted transversely with light blue.
Before pupating, the caterpillar will turn dark brown.
It will reach a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in).
The caterpillar of P. glaucus is impossible to distinguish from the caterpillars of P. canadensis and P. appalachiensis.
The caterpillar eats the leaves of the host plant. It will rest on a silk pad on a leaf, with the edges of the leaf folded over itself and held together with silk. The first three instars are brown. A large white spot, known as a saddle, is found on the abdomen. After molting to the fourth instar, the caterpillar becomes green. The swollen thorax has two black, yellow, and blue eyespots. These eyespots are much smaller than those of the similar-looking spicebush swallowtail caterpillar. A yellow and black transverse stripe is present between the first and second abdominal segments. It is concealed between the folds of the segments when the caterpillar is at rest. The abdomen is spotted transversely with light blue. Before pupating, the caterpillar will turn dark brown. It will reach a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in). The caterpillar of P. glaucus is impossible to distinguish from the caterpillars of P. canadensis and P. appalachiensis.
Papilio glaucus