Plant Bronze Fennel and you will have Black Swallowtails coming out of your ears in no time. I have dill, parsely, carrots..... the bronze fennel is what gets 'em.

What silkmoths do you raise? I am on LI and have been raising silkmoths for years.

Most of the herbs (although not sure about fennel) that Black Swallowtails eat grow well in containers, thats how I grow them every year. And no, BS don't eat NEAR as much as the silk moths do. Looks like we are pretty close to each other, I live in the Bellmore-Merrick area.

Didnt think they could possibly eat as much as the silkmoths.Because the silkmoths eat endlesly! Since I'm trying to rear Ios on corn this year, im actually getting boxes of corn leaves that were pealed from the corn at the supermarket, if they eat it ill let you know, its a pretty easy way to get their food! I wish Lunas, Regalis, Cynthia, Promethia, etc. would eat corn to, I had to stop getting eggs from them cause i had no food left.
kwoods, right now I have A. Io, C. Regalis, A. Luna.
Hoping to get eggs from the Ios. Usually I get what species I can, but now if these Ios eat corn, I may stay with them. Does Bronze Fennel like shade? I dont think ill have enough room for it...
Missherry- Amazing the difference in pupation time, I could have many broods of monarch or BSs by the time one Luna is done pupating!
:)S.B.

Hi Guys, I'm right across the Sound in Eastern CT. I,too, raise BST, Spicebush Swallowtails(on sasafrass), Monarchs, and Cecropias. This year I'm trying my hand at raising Mourning Cloaks since I just found eggs.

Some years the BST prefer Bronze fennel, some years parsley, saome years carrots. In the fall they almost always prefer carrot tops.

Maryann in CT

I notice that Palamedes Swallowtails are in your range. Anyone ever actually see one in New York?

Jeff

Emmayct- Thank You, I'll start a log, see if theres a pattern they follow with foodplants, maybe every 2 years they like parley, in the middle fennel, etc. Do you know what they prefered last year?

jrcagle- yes, ive seen a few Palamedes, do you know what they eat?

irishguy24- how much parsley do you grow?

p.s. Im probably going to buy some parsley at the local garden place soon. Does Bronze Fennel do good in pots?

-S.B.
\

I had put 2 parsley plants in a windowbox that was on my deck last year. I surprisingly had my first 2 BST cats. 1 escaped from my cage, but the second pupated on the screen, and I left it overwintering on my deck. I wanted it to pupate on one of the dozen sticks I placed in the windowbox, as to overwinter it indoors. So, I haven't a clue as to if it's going to eclose or not; time will tell...

Hopefully they eclose soon, Good Luck!
So its about 1 cat per plant like monarchs, right? I can probably get around 20 plants, possibly more.
-S.B. Thanks :)

S.B., palamedes swallowtails eat redbay/persea borbonia and swamp bay/p. palustris. I'm raising quite a few of them now - they're very common here.
Surely you could raise some tiger swallowtails! They use such a wide variety of host plants, you could easily find something that would fit into your garden. I made a picture of one of mine that I'm raising - I think they're one of the cutest cats!
{{gwi:475126}}
Sherry

misssherry- Maybe I will, is there any smaller plants that would grow in a pot that theyd eat? They are so cute! What type of pant is that cat on, it almost looks like sea grape leaf?
:) S.B.

I've given up on trying to figure out their eating habits!

Last year they prefered carrot tops and ignored the bronze fennel....but I saw very few early in the year only later in Sept.

The year before they preferred the bronze fennel, but layed earlier.

They will use the parsley and dill, too.

I know one female can lay a whole lot of eggs, so if you get one female who prefers your particular plant, you can get over 50 eggs from that one girl!

Sherry, around here the Eastern Tigers seem to lay high up on the Wild Black Cherry trees. How do you find the eggs? Are your hostplants smaller?

Maryann

I see tigers flying high up in the wild black cherry/prunus serotina and tulip poplar/liriodendron tulipifera trees, Maryann, and I'm sure that's still where they lay the majority of their eggs. Before the hurricane, it was almost impossible to find a tiger cat. Since the hurricane, the trees have been making more new growth lower on the trunks, undoubtedly because so much more sun is striking the lower trunks than it used to, and I've been finding some down low. I got the one in the picture off of a young tulip poplar that came up underneath a power line, so I transplanted it to a better place, and that's what he's been eating. The leaf no longer looks like one, because the cat has eaten off the edges, S.B.
I've found tigers on the above mentioned trees, plus wafer ash/ptelea trifoliata. None of my wafer ashes are big, they're all small trees or bushes, so you could definitely grow one of them in a pot. Common chokecherry/prunus virginiana is listed as a host for tigers in one of my books, and my tree book says it only gets 20' tall, so I'd think it would be a good possibility as a tree you could grow in a pot. It's a native of the far north, so you could probably even leave the pot outside in the winter. The leaves, flowers and fruit look a lot like p. serotina.
Sherry

O.K. Misssherry-I'll se if I could find some of them, which one is the fastest grower? I'm about to order a whole bunch of tropical seeds (I collect tropical plants/fruit), so maybe they'll have them. Is the wafer-ash, hops? Cause a few of the saturniids i get like hops so that may work out. It says the hop/ash tree is hardy to zones 3-9, so i think ill go with that, they do like it right? I may even have a wild black cherry tree near me, just not sure if it is.
emmayct - I've seen that happen, there was to much cats for the plant to handle, I think they starved, or they took a walk through the forest looking for some food.

My eastern tent cats are getting big, theres one which is about 2x the size of the rest. I wonder how big there brains are, cause they arent the brightest. Last night I put a branch around 4 feet tall in and the cats kept running on, then waliking to the end of a leaf, and falling off! If they had bones then they would need a big cast. It was literally raining caterpillars! I wish i got my camera to take a video of it.
-S.B.

S.B., the wafer ash tree/bush is ptelea trifoliata, a member of the citrus family and the favorite host plant of giant swallowtails. Hops is a vine whose scientific name is humulus lupus. It's not in the citrus family, but it's related to such things as nettles, elms, hackberries, and mulberries. Hops/humulus lupus is a favored host plant for question marks, at least in my area they ignore the elms I planted for them and use the hops vines almost exclusively.
Wafer ash/hops tree/ptelea trifoliata is a moderately growing plant for me. I've never grown chokecherry, so I can't speak for that, but if it's anything like wild black cherry/prunus serotina, it should be a fast grower.
Sherry

Speaking of tulip tree (liriodendon), MissSherry, when Sandy 1st gave me a start of one, I thought there must have been eggs on the leaves because they looked like they had been neatly cut straight across at the tips. Then I realized the younger leaves actually look like that! LOL! As the sapling matured this year, it has begun to take on more curves (like a plus-size model, heehee).

Susan

Misssherry- I see some question marks to, so i may try a hop vine, it says there hardy to my zone to, so i may have some space, or do you know if it grows well in pots? I'm still deciding though so I may get any of the plants you prefered, or all of them! :)
-S.B.

S.B. I planted a hops vine last year and it grew to about 6' tall. However, the QMs preferred all the smaller elm saplings around the yard, and I even found one on my False Nettle, too (which they will also use as a host plant). It just depends on what their favorite host plant is. That's why I have several different host plants for one butterfly, because I have no idea what they will prefer. Frustrating, no doubt! Hops is a rhizome. I think it would be fine in a pot large enough for it.

American Ladies have proven frustrating for me in finding their preferred host. I have Pearly Everlasting, pussytoes, and cudweed. So far, I have a couple on the cudweed this year. Also, Buckeyes. I have plantain, ruellia (Mexican petunia), dwarf snapdragons, and something else I don't recall right now.

When trying to attract the genus/species of leps that have numerous food plants, it is good to converse with others in your state to see what they have been successful using as food plants. An attractive food plant in Oklahoma may not be as popularly utilized in New York.

I wish you the best of luck, SB! Keep us posted on how things go.

Susan

Yes, Susan, the leaves of tulip trees have an unusual shape!
I imagine you could grow hops vines in containers, S.B., but I've never tried it, so I can't say for sure.
All my spicebush, tiger, and palamedes swallowtail cats are eating and growing nicely - most of them should be pupating soon. The giant swallowtails have mostly all pupated except one little one. I found 3 more giant swallowtail eggs, these being on wafer ash/hops tree/ptelea trifoliata, so I should be raising 3 more soon.
Sherry

susanlynne48- I know what you mean, i made somewhat of a guide of what saturniids eat going by the latitude. Im going to try the hop vine, if they take it, they take it. Dont have enough room for multiple food plants, all the room is taken up for different leps.
misssherry- Maybe ill try the wafer ash too, but is that only the hostplant for giant swallowtails, 'cause I think im out of there range, never seen one aroung here...
My first Luna eclosed today (5/22/08)! Ill put some pictures soon.

No, as a matter of fact, S.B., I neglected to mention rue/ruta graveolens, which is a great host plant for both black swallowtails and giant swallowtails - I'd highly recommend it!
Congrats on the luna! I'm raising two cats.
Sherry

You can raise rue in pots, too. I have a few going this year. I've not had very good luck with Rue the last couple of years in the ground, so thought I'd try the pots, too. However, the Rue I thought was doing so badly has now leafed out and is growing like crazy. I guess our cool spring thru them off a bit. They're getting ready to bloom.

Susan

A beautiful male promethea moth emerged early this afternoon. I'm going to check on him frequently to see if he acts like he wants to leave this afternoon, since the females "call" in the afternoon.
I didn't even know they had spots on their bodies -
{{gwi:475129}}
Sherry

S.B.,
Wafer ash/ptelea trifoliata is also known as hop tree, but that's not the same as a hops vine. I raised black swallowtails last year on my rue, and I'm still hoping that some Giant Swallowtails visit me someday. They aren't listed for my county on the www.butterfliesandmoths.org website, but that doesn't mean that I can't ever get them.

I think you'll have fun raising the swallowtails. I've only had the chance to raise that one kind so far. I've never seen any Zebra Swallowtails here, but they need paw paw trees, which I don't have. The two that I got off of someone on ebay were no good, and I have a heck of a time raising them from seed, so I might have to write that butterfly off. It's not listed in my county anyway. However, I do have other swallowtails here that I really enjoy. I get the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, which the caterpillar has a wide variety of food that it eats. I guess the reason I haven't raised any is because I think all of its host plants are trees (which are very high here, so I can't see up to where the cats would be). I'm not sure if the spicebush is a host plant for that one or not, but I know that it is for the Spicebush Swallowtail (hence, the name), and both of those butterfly cats eat sassafras tree leaves. I planted a few spicebushes last year, so I hope that I'll be able to raise some of those cats someday.

I have Dutchman's Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla/durior) for the Pipevine Swallowtail, but I just planted it last year, so I'm hoping that it has a chance to grow some more before I get any PVS's on it. I've read on here about their ravenous hunger, so I want to be prepared.

Only three swallowtails are listed for my county on that website, the Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Spicebush Swallowtail, but I'm still trying for those other three that I want. They're listed for some counties around me, so I figured it's not beyond the realm of possiblity.

Good luck with raising the swallowtails, and I just bet you'll really enjoy doing it!

Cathy

Cathy, if you check out eritter on ebay, I believe he has some pawpaw tree seedlings for about $2.50. I think Sandy was going to order from him, but don't know if she did or not. He has been recommended here as a good source for butterfly plants. I got 2 'Pink Delight' BBs from him, and 3 Asclepias purpurescens from him. They are small, but have good root systems. The AP is already putting up new growth - very quickly!

Susan

Really?! Woo hoo, I'll have to check that out, Susan! Thanks!!! The paw paw "trees" (long sticks would be a better word) that I received from that person were about two feet long, but I don't care if eritter's are shorter. The important thing to me is that they'd be living! :) I'm glad that you've had a good experiece from buying from him and am really happy that you told me about that person because I guess you know by now I'm kind of scared off of buying online now, but I'll give him a try yet and hopefully he does have some. Thanks again!
Cathy

I checked the ebay site and I don't see the pawpaws listed anymore. Ron's email address is in our recommended list of online nurseries, tho, so if you email him, he can tell you if he has any more.

Susan

Okay, thanks, Susan!
Cathy

Heres the Luna, it elclosed on the 21st. (male)
{{gwi:475132}}
-S.B.

Great shot, SB!!

Cathy, I am more concerned about root systems than top growth, like you are. The plants I got from Ron were very well rooted, and not potbound or anything. Makes for better transplanting.

S.B. - where do you get your silk moth stock? Do you collect it in the wild, or purchase from someone?

We have very few of them here, but I would love to try "growing" some! LOL! I know IOs are indigenous to Oklahoma, and I believe it is prometheas and lunas as well. I'll have to check on that.

My available food plants consister of elm, hackberry, elderberry, wild cherry, virginia creeper, and white mulberry (actually it is morus bombycis unryu, but said to be a "sport" of alba). I know one of the ladies in Oklahoma says she finds a certain genus/species of silk moth on her elderberries, but I can't recall the name off the top of my head.

Eventually, I hope my Persea borbonia and Magnolia virginianum will get larger, but that's probably a good 5 or 6 years down the road.

So far, I am seeing very few eggs, cats in the yard this year, with the exception of the American Ladies and Cloudless Sulphurs (haven't seen them in days either). The hackberry emperors and QMs are around, but no egg laying going on yet. No PVS, very few BST, no Monarchs, etc. Probably will be fall b4 I see a lot (hopefully). But, last year was such a bumper year for Oklahoma, I kinda expected this year to be slow.

Susan

Your luna is one handsome dude, SB!
Sherry

susanlynne48- Sometimes I find them in the wild, and when I do I to someones house that I know where there are more. When buying cocoons or eggs I get it at the link below. They now have nondispausing cocoons, so you wont have to put them in the refrigerator, and they should hatch soon.Under where it says become a member of the WLSS, it says new, nondispausing cocoons.
Misssherry- Thanks, the Ios, Regalis, and more Lunas should be coming soon!
I saw my first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail the other day!
-S.B.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cocoons and eggs

I wondered if you got them from Bill. He has posted some of my images of the various sphinx cats/moths I've found and raised in Oklahoma.

Susan

susanlynne48- Do you raise Ios, cause they love cherry, do you see them on your wild black cherry?
S.B.

I just got my wild cherry a couple years ago, SB. It's in a big pot and is about 3-4' tall now, but with lots of leaves. However, I don't know if it's enough to feed the large silks. Are the IOs smaller? I know not to touch them.

I think it was the cecropias that someone said they get on their Elderberries. That, I have a ton of. Also have a small tulip tree (liriodendron), but not big enuff yet to support any cats....maybe one tiger, but that's about it.

Oh, and I have lots of redbud seedlings from my neighbor's tree that I am letting grow. Can't remember what they host, but it's some kind of moth.

So far I've only raised:

Manduca sexta
Manduca quinquemaculata
Trumpet Vine sphinx
Walnut sphinx
Nessus Sphinx
Elm Sphinx
Tersa Sphinx
Snowberry Clearwing sphinx

All found in my yard.

Susan

Susan- The Ios eat much less tham most of the others, including the cecropias. Though they feed in groups, there much smaller. your tree may be able to support a few. Yes, dont touch them! :) Have you ever been stung by them? wonder how bad it hurts.
a new Luna emerged today!
S.B.

Maybe I'll get some on my little "shrub" this year. One can only hope!

I knew they were considered among the "stinging" cats, so I would not touch them. Is it okay to handle the cocoons?

I haven't had near the sphinx moth population that I have seen in past years yet this year either. But, I'm patient, so perhaps tomorrow???? LOL.

Susan

The cocoons are good to touch, thank God! Actually I never raised any sphinx, but I do see Snowberry Clearwings, what is there hosdt plant? Hopefully theyll come soon. I havent really seen much either, I put orange slices out, cause the flowers arent bloomed, but still ive only seen a painted lady, and eastern tiger swallowtail, which werent even at my house.
-S.B

Do you think I should wait for wild Swallowtails to lay eggs on my Parsley or should I buy chrysalides and then get a pairing from that?
-S.B.

The Snowberry Clearwings use honeysuckle and viburnums for hosts. I always get them on my honeysuckle, which is an older variety with yellow blooms that have those circular calyces, S.B.

Usually I find them quite easily on the lower part of the vine. If they go up top, the birds roost up there and that is a likely meal for them.

Lots of sphinx use Virginia Creeper, too. So far, I've had the eumorpha achemons and Nessus sphinx. But, pandoras and vine sphinx will also use it. Also, the little 8-spotted foresters use it. When it fruits, the birds eat the berries. For me, it's an all-around vine.

Susan

Susan- Thank You! All this time I had honeysuckles and viburnums and never thought of checking them for cats. Maybe this year I'll raise some Snowberry clearwings. I too, have the yellow kind. A few blocks away from me there is honeysuckle everywhere. When do you usually start seeing activity with the sphinx, usually I start seeing them in late June-August. Are the snowberry clearwing pupae small and brown, I found one last year near a honeysuckle, but it never eclosed.
-S.B.

Yes, they are small and brown. I even found one as it emerged from the ground near some shrubs. I heard this whirring noise (of the wings), and looked down and there it was climbing up a blade of grass. They are very small, which is why I often confuse them with bumbles. You usually find them around the edges of the leaves, where they blend in quite well.

I, too, find them most often in the fall. Sometimes the fall crop will eclose then, but more often they will overwinter as pupae.

S.B. - I think the sphinx are every bit as fascinating as the silks. But I would love to eventually get some silks, too.

If you really want to see some good sphinx, get a Virginia Creeper. This plant is so versatile as a host for many of them. Also, check your elms for the Elm Sphinx, and your pecans and walnuts for the Walnut Sphinx. I also grow the red pentas for the Tersa Sphinx. These are fun as well.

Nessus are a bit more complicated as they rest in the top of the vines during the day and come down to feed on the lower leaves (on the ground) at night. I just happened to find the cats very early one morning before they had climbed back up during the day. They are green at first, and in the last instar they start to turn pink and then a gorgeous mottled brown.

Larvae:

{{gwi:469610}}

Adult:

{{gwi:475134}}

Susan

Nice pictures! I'll try to get that Virginia creeper, but im packed with foodplants so, ill see. Hopefully Ill raise a bunch, ill take in some Snowberry CW's, and hopefully get some eggs. Ive never really had any sphinx, so how do you determine males and females. Not by antennae like the Saturniids right?
-S.B.

BTW this is getting long! Never expected so many postings, lets keep it going!

I've never sexed mine, but I'm told you can tell by looking at the cocoon, S.B. I think Bill Oehlke has the info on his website.

Susan

I thought I saw something about that, ill check. Are you a member?
- S.B.

Not yet, but it's on my "to do" list. You know how that goes.

Susan

Yeah, know what you mean. Its definately worth it, there is a page for every known saturniid (well there is a lot, every known saturniid i would think, youd have to see) its listed by states and countries etc!
S.B.

Yes, that is a part of the "free" site. Oklahoma is quite current because Dr. John Nelson and John Fisher and others worked on creating a database for all Oklahoma moths. Bill particularly wanted a list of the catacolas for his website, and Dr. Nelson/Dr. Fisher were more than willing to provide him with his list of silks, sphinxes, and catacolas for his website.

I wish I would find some catacolas here in the city, too! BTW, have you read John Himmelman's book? It's great! He's very knowledgeable and funny. I love it because he has a chapter on the history of moth-ers and their quirks.

Susan

I dont find many catacolas here either. But, i would like to set up a light soon, I go to make a schedule though. I havent read that book, I have heard of it though, and I was actually thinking of it.

Anyone know what happened to the Black and also Spice Swallowtails in Central Oklahoma this year. We always plant dill, fennel, parsley in pots for them and then protect the caterpillars in a vivarium till they come out of their cocoon, but this year I have only had 3 butterflies return and they did not look very well. We usually have hundreds of them. Did they die out over winter, did the BP oil get them, or ??? Anyone else notice this?