Black Swallowtail cats on my parsley - what to do with them?

12 years ago

Hello. I know some of you raise the butterfly here, from teeny little larvae to full winged creature, so I am hoping for some good advice.

I live in the northeast US. About a month ago I noticed what I assumed to be a black swallowtail spending a lot of time on a parsley plant I had just potted on my patio. Then, this week, I noticed tiny black caterpillars with a single white band across their back. Within just a few days, those critters have become almost 2 inch long green, black and yellow striped parsley eating machines! There are 5 of them. I did some research, and believe they are black swallowtail, or "parsley butterfly" caterpillars. I now know that they will eat as much as they can, then crawl off somewhere and make a cocoon - and then either become butterflies this summer or next spring/summer? (that is the part I am not sure about)

Problem -

My SIL was over, she has 2 young girls, and last year they recieved one of those butterfly growing "kits" as a gift - supposedly you can order the butterfly larvae thru the mail, you put them in this big mesh thing, feed them food that is supplied by the company that sends you the critters, and then they will cocoon and eventually hatch, and you set them free. My sisterinlaw successfully did all this, and still has the butterfly house. She wants to take my caterpillars, put them in her butterfly house, and let them cocoon in there, and finish their metamorphisis under the watchful eyes of her children.

Should I do this? Will my cats fare well in this set up? I feel I should leave them be, let nature handle what it has already started. But, I wouldn't mind giving them to her if I knew they would be ok, and be able to finish out their little growth cycle safely and happily in such a set up.

If I don't give them to her, I will just let them do their thing on the parsley, and then crawl off to whatever fate awaits them. The parsley pot is right next to my perennial garden and Japanese maple tree, plenty of places they can go to cocoon.

PLease give me some advice, they are growing fast!

Thanks!

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Comments (8)

MissSherry
12 years ago
You can do it either way, it's up to you.
If your sister-in-law takes them, she'll have to provide parsley for them until they pupate. Will she do this?
It needs to be pesticide free parsley, which most probably is.
Her butterfly house would undoubtedly be safer than sending them off to "whatever fate awaits them" - chrysalides get eaten or destroyed by weather frequently, so I'd give them to her.
Sherry
RedTurtle
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks! I will let her take them, then. I could dig up the parsley plant and put it in a small pot, she could just put that whole thing in the butterfly house.

Another question, though - last night we noticed that one of the cats had crawled off to a geranium that is in the same pot, and was just stretched out along one of the flower stems. Today he is still there, just still and not eating, in the same spot on the stem - is he getting ready to do the next step? What should we do with him? Cut the stem off of the plant and put that in the butterfly house as well?
Also, how long will it take for them to cocoon and then hatch? The websites I have seen all differ, some say this summer, some say they will overwinter in the cocoons and hatch next spring.

Oh, and is it best to leave the butterfly house outside? My SIL has a screened in porch.

I really appreciate your help!!
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I have found that the flowers of all the plants in the carrot family attract large numbers of insects including many types of wasps and hover flies, tiny beetles, etc. If you let the parsley and carrots flower in their second year they will be insect magnets too. In my yard the fennel, parsley, and goldenrod flowers attract the greatest number and variety of insects by far. It is fascinating to watch the swarm surrounding them when they are at their peak. If the swarm bothers you, but you still want the foliage for the caterpillars just cut off the flower stalks. The rue flowers are not as busy and it seems to be a last choice as far as black swallowtail eggs at least here. It is an attractive plant though and may get giant swallowtails to lay on it as well. Be careful when working with it though because it may cause some light sensitive skin blistering in people. I would make sure that the peat moss never dries out until the seedlings get a good start because once it dries out it is pretty hard to re-wet.
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Congrats on all of those Black Swallowtails! You're lucky if you don't get any wasps parasitizing them. I can't let the ones here outside or I will most likely have those red and black wasps come out of the pupas instead of BSTs. Last year we didn't get many BSTs to raise, but this year we seem to have them coming out our ears. Most of the ones we've gotten so far this year we've found on the dill. We only found a couple on the bronze fennel, but I found pretty many on them last year. I also have parsley but so far this year they haven't laid eggs on those. We've found pretty many on the few rue plants that I have left. I had 14 plants but tore most of them out last year because of being allergic to them. My daughter has been feeding the BSTs rue because it holds up well compared to the fennel and dill and is also more substantial. The eleventh one just pupated two days ago, and we have 32 that should pupate within the next week. We haven't found any eggs or small cats outside lately, so I think that the mama probably laid all the eggs that she was going to and died. She will have a lot of children to carry on where she left on and hopefully there will be lots of generations of BSTs in years to come. We love raising them and lots of other kinds of butterflies. Also, welcome to the forum and to the world of butterflies. The more people who get interested in them the better. Cathy
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MissSherry
12 years ago
Caterpillars get completely still when they're molting, that is, shedding the old, overstretched skin for a bigger one. They also go off and get real still before emptying their bowels big time/purging, and then pupating - pupation is the last molt. You can cut off the leaf the caterpillar is on, just be careful not to disturb it.
Black swallowtails are among the most unpredictable of butterflies as to whether they'll overwinter or emerge soon, but in June, it's most likely that all or most of them will emerge this year. They stay in their chrysalides for about ?2 weeks, can't remember exactly, since I don't keep track of it, and it varies with individuals. I do remember that black swallowtails emerge more quickly than just about any other swallowtail, probably because they're smaller. Don't be surprised if all but one or two emerge, and those two emerge next spring, though.
A screened in porch is a good place for them to be, provided mice or other possible porch critters can't reach them. A shaded spot outside is the best site - mine are in cages on my covered front porch.
Good luck!
Sherry
terrene
12 years ago
I have only raised Monarchs 2 years and BSTs 1 year, but it seems to me that BSTs would be an excellent butterfly for children to raise. They are laid back, pretty much stay on their cuttings (unless molting or purging), and mine were very healthy. I just checked my records from last year and it takes about 11-14 days for them to eclose. They emerge into such beautiful butterflies!

I raised them in clear plastic boxes inside the kitchen, they were fine. When they pupated I put them in an aquarium with a screened top, and some leafy sticks to pupate on. They would also eclose in the aquarium.

I am so excited this year because I've already collected one lone BST egg from a female who laid the egg on the parsley right in front of me the other day! It's hatched already. Have only found that one egg so far though.
RedTurtle
Original Author
12 years ago
OH, thanks so much, you guys are great...but you have made me want to dig thru my shed for my old aquarium and keep them myself, to heck with the kids having a magical experience...
caterwallin
12 years ago
Well, you're an adult and adults can have magical experiences too. :) I wouldn't put them back outside because all kinds of critters can get them out there. If you have something to put them in like the aquarium that you mentioned and have enough host plant (e.g. parsley, fennel, dill, rue) to feed them until they pupate and have a little extra time to care for them and make sure they have enough to eat, then I think that you would really enjoy raising them. Uh oh, I wonder if you and your sister-in-law's kids will fight over them. ;-)
Cathy
fighting8r
12 years ago
No matter what, do not give up on the chrysalis, as they may come out in two weeks, or it may be next spring! Those guys are the most unpredictable in my experience. And it is a magical and rewarding experience. Thanks for looking out for the little guys.
kelly
MissSherry
12 years ago
When I looked at my cages this morning, I noticed that a palamedes swallowtail has emerged AND one of the two remaining BST chrysalides from last summer!
I hope to get a picture - they're still "hanging out" right now.
Sherry

Black Swallowtail cats on my parsley - what to do with them?

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MissSherry

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Black Swallowtail cats on my parsley - what to do with them?

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MissSherry

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