Congrats, Congrats Sherry. Wishing it would warm up here;)

Thanks, Jacob!

They've clustered together on a leaf now, like they always do.

The temps here have been below average for the past few days, so I can imagine it would be very cool indeed up where you are!

Sherry

I just bought a dutchman's pipe - do you think the pipevine butterflies will eventually show up once it's big, or should I try to get a few chrysalises somewhere? They are such pretty butterflies!

If I were you, I'd check first to see if the field guides show them as occurring in my area. Then, I'd plant the host plant and hope NOT for caterpillars the first year. Pipevine swallowtails lay clusters of eggs, and they eat a lot of leaves, need a large vine. I have many vines at this point, mostly from the spread of the originals. I hope you bought one of the native American pipevines (Aristolochia tomentosa, A. macrophylla, or the one from California) unless you live in south Florida where you would get goldrims, then the tropical pipevines would do.

After a year or so, assuming your vine has thrived, if you don't get eggs naturally, you could try and get chrysalides for a start.

Sherry

Sherry,

Thank you for your post! I bought Aristolochia tomentosa, and to be honest after doing more reading, I am a little nervous to plant it because of how big it will get, and that it can spread to the lawn?! I have a trellis I can lean against my short 1950's house, so pruning the top to prevent it from entering the gutters/covering the roof won't be a problem. (famous last words?....)

Like you, I've read this vine can grow very tall, given something to climb, but I grow mine on an 8 ft tall by 4 ft wide trellis and I only occasionally prune it back by about a third in late winter, when I think it needs refreshing. It doesn't have anything to cling to once it reaches the top of the trellis, other than itself, so the ends of the vines just grow around each other and hang down. It is probably not the healthiest way to grow it but it has grown like this for years and seems happy. Also, while some people report it putting out new pups (or whatever they're called), mine never has, not one. I don't know why. It grows where it gets very early am sun, then dappled shade and is grown in a raised bed. If your vines make new plants, just snip them off at ground level if you don't want them. I don't think this is like kudzu, where it overtakes everything in it's path.

I don't have a photo of the entire trellis but here is an old photo of the top. Click on it to enlarge it and you can see how the ends of the vines have twisted on themselves. The trellis sits at a 90 degree angle to the house, not against it. The little pipevine butterflies are going to reward you for planting this vine for them.

I noticed, early this morning, a little female pipevine butterfly out doing her touch and go. Woohoo, babies are coming!

Mary

It takes a long time (or at least mine did) for A. tomentosa to 'volunteer' as my mother-in-law used to say. If you don't want the volunteers, you can either mow over them or pull them up (as Mary suggested), cut them and feed them to your pipevine swallowtail caterpillars elsewhere (I do this), or you can dig them up and baby them in a pot until they get settled, then, either give them to friends or plant them somewhere else in your own garden.

My first PVS butterflies from this year's crop emerged this morning, both females. These came from caterpillars I got from Rick in Alabama. It's so windy, I hate to release them today, and tomorrow we're supposed to have big rain, so I'm trying to decide when to release them, a good problem! :)
Sherry

Thanks Mary and Sherry. I'm going to plant it this weekend, if it ever stops raining!

I should have mentioned, too, that the vines have no grippers of any sort, no tendrils that attach, they just vine, so if there is nothing for them to twine themselves around, I think it will be pretty easy to keep them in check.

We've had a lot of rain lately, too. Getting a bit of break today, although it's overcast, but another strong storm is expected later tonight. Need to get some more seedlings planted out today.

Mama pipevine butterfly has been busy since early this morning ... I have just spotted clusters of the pretty orange Pipevine eggs on the young, tender tips of the vines.

Mary

Congrats, congrats, Mary on your PVS eggs!

Sherry

The pipevine swallowtail cats are growing rapidly, in typical PVS fashion. The cluster of cats that the 'ants' in the above picture belong to hid under some big leaves, so that I couldn't see them very well, but one ventured out from the crowd today -

I found some more, newly laid eggs yesterday and saw a female PVS in the garden today, so the fun continues!

Sherry

I have a huge pipevine growing on my chain link fence. It is about 8 years old and covers about 10 feet of the fence. I have never had any cats of butterflies on it that I know of. I would love to raise some PVS cats but don't know where to purchase them. If anyone knows of where I could get some I would love to try to begin. I live about 30 miles Northeast of Philadelphia PA.

I got an A. Tomentosa something like ten years ago. It grew slowly the first few years and I didn't see many Pipevine swallowtails. Since then, however, I have seen more butterflies each year. I see them every day now and I really enjoy seeing that flash of blue on their tails.

A good thing about the Tomentosa where I live is that it feeds the Polydamas butterflies also and both of these butterflies tend to stay near the pipevines. They are both around every day now, although they're not as abundant as the Monarchs.

The Tomentosa vines do volunteer quite a bit on my property, but mostly that's good since it means more butterflies. I do pull them up or cut them down from time to time when they grow into plants that I want to protect.

Now I am jealous. I don't covet many things, but I do love to raise me some Pipevine cats!!! They are my favorites!!!! Congrats to you girl!!!

Yes, I'm lucky when it comes to pipevine swallowtails. I'm raising a LOT of them in the big cage, there are chrysalides still left in the same cage, chrysalides outside around the vines (as on the fence), and there are at least two clusters of eggs on the vines outside.

When you have pipevine swallowtails, you really have them!

Sherry

Just to add to the discussion..in May I posted I had never had Pipevine caterpillars but guess what? In the middle of July I had eggs and now I am raising baby Pipevine swallowtails! What an adventure! They are so cute and so active! I am hoping they make it. I am wondering if they will stay in their chrysalis through he winter. They probably have about a week or two more to grow before they go into chrasalis. I guess I will have to wait and see.