I agree - sounds like the "safe" insecticide used to fog for mosquitoes - it interferes with digestion and affected insects starve to death :( The exact same thing happened to a dozen eggs I got from my neighbor's plants. The eggs from my plants were not affected, and the cats are munching away. The difference is that her plants are on the side of her house towards the front, and my plants are in the back yard. The fog generally doesn't reach beyond the front yards in my experience. To be safe, I also cover my plants with an old sheet every Thursday evening when the fogging truck is due. I'm working on getting them to stop spraying my property, and hopefully I can get the neighbors on board so they will stop spraying the whole street. It has little overall impact on mosquitoes, and kills beneficial insects.

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

Are you sure these plants were organic--no pesticides? I had some people I know who purchased some parsley at a local nursery and they had been sprayed. You'd think that people would prefer organic herbs, but many nurseries don't want their plants getting eaten by caterpillars--so they spray them.

The black swallowtail is a favorite of birds for food. I have made cages out of plastic snack containers (gallon size or larger) by cleaning it out well, then cutting sections out of the sides to adhere screen material (I use clear bathroom caulk to act as a glue) to the cut out sections covered with screen to allow for air flow. Then I place a paper towel in the bottom and bring in stems of their host food for them to feed on. This protects the caterpillars from predators and give them a better chance at reaching butterfly stage. Not all cats make it to adulthood, but their chances are better with the protective help. Then be sure to sterilize your cage after all the chrysalids have emerged. BSTs may overwinter as a chrysalis. I have had some stay in chrysalis for over a year and still emerge as healthy butterflies the following spring or summer. In the "wild" only 2 or 3 eggs out of 100 make it to adult butterfly stage. The caterpillar can travel some distance to become a chrysalis. The BST prefers to find a stick or twig (or vertical surface) that they can attach to in an upright position. Hope this helps you decide what to do about the remaining cats you have been observing. Best of luck to you! Mechelle