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Butterfly Garden

Look what I found this morning!!!

16 years ago

Beautiful Giant Swallowtails laid eggs all season on my Citrus bush. As soon as they hatched, the birds,etc. made short order of them. I decided to try and help Mother Nature. I found a couple of eggs on leaves and with directions from you wonderful folks I decided to try my hand at raising them. I put them in a box and several days later they hatched. With advise on how to do this from you guys and this site, I fed - they grew - and now this!

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My Citrus bush certainly got a good pruning. These guys were hungry!

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The stuff that I used was totally unprofessional and you guys would die laughing at my cat cage. But aren't they beautiful. The largest measured (on the screen of the cage) a little over 4 inches across. The other only slightly smaller.

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And then off to see the world

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Comments (8)

goldenpond
16 years ago
Isn't it exciting! I was about to dig up my homely Dill plant only to discover it was covered with caterpillers and Chrysalids.The day after the fourth I found 5 swallowtails drying their wings on that plant!There are still more to go and even more eggs.Thank goodness I have plenty of parsley and fennel!
MissSherry
16 years ago
Congrats, MimiB1!
I love those giant swallowtails!
MissSherry
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tdogmom
16 years ago
WOW! And, who cares what the cat cage looks like...

Congrats and raising some beautiful GSTs. :) Didn't you just LOVE the caterpillars? Those babies are some of my most FAVES...they are so soft to the touch and just cool looking. They are one of my favourites to tell people about, too! I love how they look like bird poop. GREAT camouflage.
emmayct
16 years ago
Lucky, lucky, lucky...I know I'll never get to see a GST up here in CT but I have a potted grapefruit tree and rue just in case...Hey I can dream can't I?
tdr4
16 years ago
I have not been able to successfully raise any Giant swallowtails. I have had several on my citrus but they always disappear. The ones I take in to raise die. One last year made it and hatched in March(I had him all winter) and his wings were damaged. I have an egg now on my tree. I think that I will try one more time. Wish me luck. Any advice would be appreciated.
todancewithwolves
16 years ago
Gorgeous! and what a rewarding experience.

Edna
MimiB1
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for all your responses. I could not have raised them without this web site and you guys. I checked my citrus bush again today but no new eggs. (I say citrus bush because it came up volunteer in my compost & I kept it but I have no idea what kind of citrus it is!)

Goldenpond, last year I saw beautiful Swallowtail cats on my dill but this year I've had nothing. I am about to replant because what I have has gone to seed. My parsley has been beautiful but not a sign of an egg. Maybe I will find some yet.

Tdogmom, it was your blog I believe that encouraged me to give this hobby a try. It just amazes me that those tiny little eggs hatched into such miniscule creatures (I used a magnifying glass at first to check on them) and then they grew into these funny caterpillars. As they grew they developed an attitude. If the citrus leaves were not totally fresh, these guys would take off for parts unknown on their own and I would have to quickly cut more from the bush and put their chubby little bodies on the branch back where they belonged. It was a totally rewarding experience and I can't wait to do it again.
susanlynne48
16 years ago
Mimi - these darned butterflies can just be so fickle! One year they like Rue, the next it's parsley, and the next it's fennel. So, I plant some of each just to try to satisfy their seasonal palates!

This year, it's been the fennel that has been so popular. I have found a few eggs on the Rue, and they'll eat the Rue even if they start out on fennel, and vice versa. Haven't found a thing on the parsley yet, though, and I planted both the flat leaf and the curly. They seem to like the green fennel over the bronze, too, to make it even more frustrating. I mean, what's it gonna be next, duck pate?

Susan

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