A few days ago as I was cleaning up a patch of the garden this beautiful swallowtail swooped right in and around me, landing on and off of what remains of my parsley. Luckily I had my camera hanging around my neck so I tried to grab a few shots.
Once uploaded onto my computer I could see that it was a she and she was a black swallowtail. I was thrilled because I had never seen a black swallowtail, at least not that I know of. I should have because we've had lots of dill and carrot plants.
I went back out and tried to find the eggs but didn't see any. I wondered if they had already been eaten by one of the many predators in the garden. But two days ago I spotted several tiny caterpillars.
These little ones were in their first or second instar, indicated by the white around their middle section.
Yesterday I could only find two left but they had grown some and must have moved into their third instar. This is a photo taken this morning. I hope there's enough parsley for them and even more important I hope they stay safe out there in the jungle. I'm hoping for more black swallowtails!
I love your butterfly photos!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a new appreciation for caterpillars! My parsley is also being eaten but slugs are the culprit. I would rather feed the butterflies.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots Gina! I've been having quite a number of Yellow Swallowtails visiting in my yard, but haven't been fast enough to catch them on camera.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots Gina! I've been having quite a number of Yellow Swallowtails visiting in my yard, but haven't been fast enough to catch them on camera.
ReplyDelete