I planted a lot of parsley, in containers. Some of it was planted late for backup in case the earlier ones bolted from the heat, like the cilantro did. They are doing really well, but I put them where they get only 2 - 3 hours of direct full sunlight. It's really hot here as well (albeit not as bad as Texas), and very humid! I keep them pinched back and well watered. Cilantro, on the other hand, is impossible for me to grow now, nomatter what I do. Is your parsley in full sun all day long? As an aside, a few days ago I found 4 parsley worms/caterpillars and today, amazingly, I watched a tiger swallowtail butterfly laying her eggs on 3 of the other plants. I wish she would have just left the eggs on one plant where I had let the original ones stay (I check them every day)! But I will move the cats when they hatch and let one plant be sacrificial. Sorry to digress, but it was amazing to watch. Do you perhaps have any of these caterpillars chomping on your parsley?

I've always read that caterpillars are very specialized in what they eat. They seek out plants with certain chemical signals. The mama butterfly is able to detect these chemicals with her feet when she lands on a plant, if it has the right chemical signature she will lay eggs. In most cases the caterpillars that hatch will only recognize that plant as food. They will often fail if moved to a plant of the same species ten feet away - all because the chemicals in the leaves didn't quite match up. Some caterpillars aren't that picky, sometimes it's because of the species and sometimes its because of the host plant the mother chose. There are plenty of success stories out there about caterpillars being moved from one plant to another with success - I even did it years ago with an entire clutch of luna moth larvae, not knowing what they needed I just grabbed some mulberry leaves which I knew most silk moths preferred. But there are more stories of failure. Caterpillars that fail to reach full size before the food source runs out will either fail to mature or they will metamorphise into a smaller sized butterfly or moth. I really doubt that the parsley or dill available in the grocery store could have anything that toxic on it - they don't just pick it from the roadside and sell it to the store. All of that stuff is highly regulated and specifically grown for safe consumption. I really think that caterpillars are far more delicate than we think - and that they can't handle being disturbed or handled. And that they don't always easily shift to new food sources. And that the parsley from the store is different from the parsley growing in the garden, as in different chemical signals not necessarily chemical pollutants. Some plants that are unrelated have the same chemical signals. Rue has some of the same compounds found in Citrus leaves, which is why Giant Swallowtails will use it as a host plant this far north but the use mostly citrus in the deep south.

I linked in a blog post that shows black swallowtail caterpillars in a parsley patch. The caterpillars are distinctive and easy to spot. With the caterpillars, the foliage disappears but doesn't wilt. I must admit to not being up on all pests that could be attacking the roots. I know there are destructive nematodes (as well as beneficial ones) but I believe they are generally below what can be seen by the human eye. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Recently seen in the parsley patch...

Rita, if you really meant what you wrote " At the end of the season I covered the plant, hoping that it would bloom again in the spring". The plants had already flowered. Your new leaves could have been new plants or just the old one taking it's time dying. By covering you allowed all kinds of moisture, heat differences, fungi to congregate on the plant. I allow the seeds to fall where they may for winter food for the smaller creatures. My soil seems to lack a nutrient that would allow the seeds to sprout or they are all eatten by the wee creatures. I plant a new plant each year and then dig the older plant up the following spring after it is dead. The decomposing roots in that area will help that area to become lighter and drain better.