I haven’t posted any caterpillar posts on my blog, in quite awhile. However, if you put “caterpillar”, “swallowtail”, “butterfly” or “butterflies” in the search box in the upper right corner, you will find several older posts with lots of pics of the black swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars, that I like to watch in my yard. I plant dill and parsley for them every year, and I get lots of caterpillars. However, I had never been able to find one making it’s chrysalis. Until today!! I have had some trouble with birds finding them, and when they do, they just wipe out the whole lot of them. So, when I found this last batch on my parsley, I put some chicken wire over them to keep the birds out. I also hoped that they might use it to attach themselves to, when they were ready to make their chrysalis. Nope, they’ve been crawling off somewhere else. Yesterday, Greg noticed a smaller one hanging on the underside of the wire. It’s a smaller one, so I thought maybe it was just hanging there to molt it’s skin. I checked on it this morning, and it was still there, and I thought I could see a strand of silk looking stuff. So, I took some pics, just in case. These were taken before we left for Sunday School. Oh, if you click on the pictures, they will pop up in their own window, and then you can click them again, and see them really close up.
I checked on it after church, and it still didn’t look much different. I went out just a few minutes ago, right before 4:00 pm, and wow! Look at it now! How cool is that? (and no, it doesn’t take much to amuse me…lol) But really, aren’t God’s creations just amazing?
I’m so excited that I finally found one! This is the area around them, so no wonder they are hard to find. My tomato plants are next them, and a small tree is also there, with leaves that they can just blend right into.
I hope I get to see it emerge, 0r at least soon after, while it is drying it’s wings. If I do, I will post pics of that, also.
Ramblings From Randi, The Wild Rose Quilter 
Awesome pics!
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This is so awesome to watch…. I’m going to have to figure out what I need to plant to get lots of caterpillars.
Thank you for sharing!
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That is soooooo cool. I love these photos. When we got rid of our grass and planted a natural Florida landscape, we had several sections dedicated to butterfly gardens. There we planted things that sustain all phases of their life. What a wonderful show it provides! And there’s no lawn to water and mow! Beautiful, critter friendly(and we have lots of all kinds), and drought hardy. A win/win situation for all of us!
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We recently moved and I miss my butterfly garden. Even my grands got to capture a Gulf Frit caterpillar, house it with the host plant, passion vine, in the jar, and watch the chrysallis stage and the new butterflies were released with a ceremony appropriate for 3 and 6 yr old boys. In our new place, we have planted the host plant and the butterfly food (lantana) but it will take a couple of years I’m sure. I wonder if I would see any swallowtails if I planted dill and parsley. Here’s my blog article about my Gulf Fritts.
Thank you for sharing your story about your butterflies.
http://ramona-quilter-big-dream.blogspot.com/2006/07/butterfly-garden-101.html
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So glad you included this post! I love your stories about the insects, toads, caterpillars & butterflies. Did I tell you I planted three Rue herb plants and a dill this year after reading your posts? sigh No butterflies attracted to any of the plants, though.
Now I’m still waiting on my old standby ~ monarchs on the milkweed.
And please do share photos of the new butterfly.
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Not many butterflies in Pa this season…maybe too wet of a Spring. I’ve read different reasons, but that seems to be the main reason…rain. I took caterpillars off parsley this year and got the oddest “bug” from them. Thought they’d be swallowtails, but it was more like a wasp shaped critter, orange body with long black wings…so I waited for the next one and got the same bug! What’s that? I have monarchs from the milkweed..awesome…and black swallowtails from the rue!
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