Swallowtail caterpillars have "false eyes," or large spots meant to confuse predators. Swallowtails spend about one month as caterpillars before forming a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis the caterpillars develop into butterflies.  After about two weeks they emerge as beautiful winged insects.

Swallowtails are among the most distinctive butterflies. Tiger swallowtails are common in the United States, and can be identified by their yellow-and-black "tiger striped" wings. Their larvae are also very distinctive: they grow quickly from small black worm-like caterpillars to large crawlers with black, green, yellow and white stripes.

"Hi, it’s nice to meet you, but pretty soon you won’t even recognize me.  I have all sixteen feet firmly planted on the ground right now, but soon I’ll be flying!  I’m working on a chrysalis, and, after a few weeks, I’ll be a butterfly! No more crawling around and inching on my belly from here to there. I’ll be floating from flower to flower, sipping nectar from blossoms. .  And I’ll be beautiful!...ooh"