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Butterfly Garden

Black Swallowtail Cats on Dill

6 years ago

Hello, everyone! This is my first post in the Butterfly Garden. I get these guys every year without fail - I plant an area full of dill and parsley just for them.

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caterwallin

6 years ago

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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Comments (15)

MissSherry
6 years ago
Woohoo!! Look at 'em all! I don't know how you've kept the wasps from killing/eating them, but, whatever it is, congratulations!

What a beautiful sight!

Sherry
Mary Leek
6 years ago
Welcome to the forum. Wow, you've had multiple visits by mama Black SW! How wonderful for you. I find it remarkable the predators leave them alone as they are so exposed. It is nice to know there are gardens where the little cats can grow safely in their natural environment. Thank you so much for sharing and for growing the host plants for these little guys.

Mary
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Comments (11)
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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Black Swallowtail cats LOVE our dill
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Comments (2)
Oh, they are beautiful! I haven't seen any activity on my fennel yet, but it's a small patch. I have fennel and parsley, but no cats yet. Hope you continue to get lots of visitors. Martha
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Black Swallowtail Cats
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Comments (5)
OOoh, BSTs! You are going to LOVE these guys. :) They are black now but soon they will be this gorgeous green... When provoked (now why would you do that? ha!) they stick out these 'horns' (osmeterium) and this nasty odour is emitted. Peeeeeyuuuuu! Here is a picture of Anise Swallowtail larvae (basically, the West Coast version of the Eastern Black Swallowtail). Very similar in looks...and one of my faves (okay, all you veterans are going to say, "What caterpillar isn't CalSherry's fave?"). You can see the various instars here.
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If you build it, they will come..... :)
Q
Comments (4)
That's a beautiful butterfly! I'm glad they're beginning to show up somewhere. I did have a couple of Aphrodite Fritillaries here on Saturday, finally.
...See More
Jacob Berg
6 years ago
Wow! Ive never seen so many and their all different instars! Thats go great! I havent seen so many ever.
Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
6 years ago
There are so many different sizes! I don't have dill, maybe I should get some. I did have about a dozen on bronze fennel so far. I thought they don't like the Parsley at this time since it is flowering. Was going to tie it up since the storms this week knocked everything over. I suppose they blend in so well with the flowers I didn't notice.
theparsley
6 years ago
I didn't plant anything for the black swallowtails this year, and now that fine fat bouquet of them is making me wish I did! I love their stripy pattern so much.
KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
6 years ago
I planted my dill seeds in late July last year and got lots of BST cats on them so you still have plenty of time. That said, I had lots of golden Alexander to feed the cats because there was not enough dill for them.
MissSherry
6 years ago
Iris, I didn't notice the caterpillar at first, either. Great picture!

Sherry
Mel
6 years ago
Iris, what a great pic!
Mel
6 years ago
Oh, btw, I am the original poster, I was having some issues with having a duplicate account. The fine folks at Houzz got me fixed up, though. :)
JamesY40
6 years ago
Just found many very tiny green worms/caterpillars on my bronze fennel. Hoping they are BST cats. James
theparsley
6 years ago
First instar black swallowtail caterpillars are black with a blob of white in the middle, like tiny bird poops. They don't become green and stripy until the third instar. From your description it may be that you have something else.
JamesY40
6 years ago
Yes, these look like little green inchworms. Any idea what?
Mel
6 years ago
Is this a black swallowtail cat, as well? I have several that have no green.
Jacob Berg
6 years ago
Yes, those are my favorite color variation. I have only gotten them once, I think they are more elegant that the green ones.

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