For them, it's worth it. :)

Oh let em munch, same thing happened to me with those specific bugs and the parsley came back so healthy, much more healthy than before and fast. Nature is so cool! Thats the Black Swallowtail Caterpillar btw.

Cool! I am going to TRY to grow milkweed this winter/spring see if I can attract monarchs... and hopefully, they'll just stay on the milkweed. :o)
Those are much prettier than what's been showing up in Sacramento... many butterflies have disappeared. :o(

They'll stay on the milkweed. My mom's a Kindergarden teacher and she raises monarch's with her classroom each year. One of the other teaches has a degree in horticulture...or botany anyway, this teacher grows and gives my mom the milkweed cause they can't or won't eat anything else.

My mom (now in FL) mentioned that when she was a teacher in Nebraska they would take the kids out to the fields where milkweed grew huge there and the butterfly's would take flight in massive swarms like flowers flying :).

Love the photo!
Love the Swallowtails to follow!
Thanks for the 'smiles'

Thanks, everybody! : ) And thanks for the ID, Kris. Yes, I let them munch all they want. I was really horrified when DH offered to kill "those bugs." I told him that these aren't bugs, they're "future butterflies," and if he wants to kill something for me, he should go find some slugs. He just shook his head and went into the house, but he smiles when I point out butterflies in the garden, and if he sees them first, he points them out to me.

I think it's so neat that the one on the left was blue, blue, blue, while the one on the right was (sorry the picture is so blurry) unquestionably green, though they're obviously the same species. I wondered why they're different colors, but I like it, it's neat! And I've got plenty of flowers waiting for them for when they're butterflies.

I'm going to have to start growing milkweed next year...

Hi LaurelLily,

I'm a long time gardener who's finally figured out the obvious...that if you plant it, they will come...and boy do they!

I bought some milkweed on ebay about 4 weeks ago, (and you need to do so this fall so their roots get established)...and the next day I had 2 monarchs!

I bought two willow trees, and within days, I had a beautiful viceroy.

I plant lots of parsley, and the Black Swallowtails munch away...but I have dozens of beauties....males with yellow, females have a bit more color.

I'm working on looking up common larval plants..it's amazing....and once you attract those floating flowers, you'll be hooked!

Here's a link to my pics from first year....(butterflies are at the end). Also, they like dill, fennell, and rue....you want to make sure you don't run out of food for the little guys!

Also, watch them, when they gat large, they'll crawl somewhere....spin a small thread....and arch their head up.....if you're lucky enough to see, they'll then shed their caterpillar coat...and ths is neat....if they're on something green, they chrysalism looks like a leaf, if they;re on dead wood, it looks like dead wood. Do watch out for wasps though...they're a terrible predator.

Watch your chrysalis...and about 5-7 days later, in early morning, they'll emerge...they need about 2 hours to pump fluid into their wings, at this point they're very vulnerable...and if they fall, it's big trouble....their wings also look liquid..if one falls, gently pick it up and put on a flower...

PS when you're harvesting pasley, look very carefully, and avoid picking the eggs, they're visible to the trained eye, as are the little cats when they hatch, which start out almost black

Hope this is useful to you!

Oh, one more things..I've got some pics...start out as flowers and creatures, then go to butterflies...hope you like

Here is a link that might be useful: critters, cats, and butterflies

That is really cool, not sure if I can lure them up this far north but am going to try next year. I am not familiar with milkweed, is it an herb, does it look good? I killed the parsley I planted this year due to trying to grow it in a pot and not giving it water when it needed it. next year it goes in the veggie garden. would yo plant milkweed in with the veggies or would it do better with the flowers?

Milkweed is not very attractive... unfortunately... but monarchs are! :o) I am wondering if I can get the milkweed to survive Sacramento heat.

Well... looky what I found! :o)

Here is a link that might be useful: Milkweed Farm

Paul, your photos are awesome! How does your family get those dragonflies to land on them???

Teryaki,

They become quite abundant in the summer here...sometimes swarms of them...although some species are very shy, the ones you see arent...they love to perch on stakes, tall plants, etc...and if you walk up slowly with your finger, sort of like a bird..they perch right on....mopre them closely and you cann look so up close...and see their little eyes sooking back...it's truly a wonder....and a great way to get the kids to see, love and explore nature...

Milkweed...I've planted my first this year, bought some plants on an online auction (I guess I'm not supposed to mention by name)...and after 3 weeks, several are starting to flower...there are many kinds, some annual, and some perennial....they can get tall, so best idea is probably to buy 10-12 and plant in cluster in back of perennial garden...you will be rewarded...

Wow... :)

I love 'em, 'cause I _hate_ mosquitos!

Oh, my goodness! That is so neat! Thank you for sharing that.

Yes, I'm hooked. I used to be happy when I saw hummers and butterflies passing through my garden, but now I'm planting more and more things just to attract them here. It's working.

I'm also hooked on the mourning doves that found all my hanging baskets this spring. : )

Awww!!!!!!! :)

I love their sound on en early morning...the most hauntingly beautiful call there is....yes, I've played the 'water around the nest game....

wow! LaurelLily and MsrPaul,

You guys have some amazing pictures there! Thanks for sharing. The pics of the morning doves are adorable.

i love how the kids seem to be so interested with the insects... great way to develop a life-long love and respect for nature.

I love the doves... they disappeared around here... from West NIle??? But they just don't make decent nests! I find their eggs on the ground... on teeny ledges where they fall off, and this year, this was awful, my neighbor said some crows (which have also disappeared) attacked the babies and only one survived without legs and had to be put out of it's misery! EEEEEK! It is good to see so many at once...

I looked at laurellily's posting when she first put it up and thought, "gee, I sure wish I had some cats with swallowtails to follow." I went out this morning to do some fall planting and sure enough there was a ton of little cats on my parsley plant. Parsley typically bolts pretty quickly down here, but my spot is cool enough to keep it happy and obviously some mama butterfly was happy enough to lay her eggs. On my plant there are four newly hatched cats and another six larger ones . . . I hope there's enough food for the little fellers. Good thing my parsley is thriving, I'll have tons of butterflies soon.

Congrats, flaming_librarian! : ) The more I garden, the more firmly I believe that if you garden with certain creatures in mind (whether it's earthworms, hummers, birds, bees, or butterflies), it may take some time, but the critters WILL come. : )