Swallowtails

[NickiM]

I found a swallowtail cat on my fennel plant today. I had seen frass on the leaves of the squash that is planted with the fennel, but I didn't spot any cats until today. So, now I guess I'll be raising at least one swallowtail along with all the monarchs.

[Mona Miller]

I love Black Swallowtails, but haven't seen any lately. I did release a male earlier in the week. It's pupae took forever to eclose (hatch).

http://www.mybutterflyguide.com/Butterf ... _Page.html
This is a great website on raising many species of butterflies.

[alletahg]

We have four black swallowtail caterpillars right now. Three are quite large and I expect them to pupate soon. The forth is still small, spikey, and mostly black. One we found on my sister-in-law's dill in her garden. One came from some fennel I bought to feed the first cat. The other two my mother-in-law found on her parsley. They are quite pretty when they get bigger!

One thing to keep in mind is that the last generation of swallowtails each year overwinter in their chrysalis. I don't know if mine will eclose this year or next, but suspect that raising them indoors might have some effect. Maybe we'll get butterflies to release soon, maybe we'll have to wait until spring.

[Mona Miller]

Have you wintered them over before? I usually keep my in the garage, but you do have to protect them from mice.

I hadn't had a Black STs for a while and then earlier this week I starting finding some eggs. I have six eggs so far. These were on fennel.

[lib66laur]

I reared several black swallowtails as well as monarchs and have been checking my fennel for any more swallowtails that might show up. I have a slender green cat that doesn't appear to be black swallowtail larva. Any ideas? Thanks!

[Mona Miller]

Okay this is the hard part. Can you post a picture? The information for posting a picture is in the FAQ section upper right.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-cur ... ort=Family
I did a search for caterpillars who eat fennel on the caterpillar host plant database.

It could be a moth instead of a butterfly.

[applestar]

I thought I was all done finding Blackswallowtails cats, then I found one on a celery and another on a carrot. I have tried to grow fennel for two years running, and have not succeeded yet.
I usually find them on my Dill, but I need most of that for making pickles, etc. And don't have much to spare.... Luckily, they are happy to eat carrot tops, which I sometimes use for cooking and sometimes dry to use like dried parsley, but I usually have plenty of, and, after a while, get tired of saving.

[Pixie]

Hi - I also raise a few swallowtails each year. I brought a couple ST cats into my small aquarium, fed them parsley day & eve & they have pupated. I also found a ST chrysalis on the fennel & brought it in also, just cut the stalk it is on. At one point there were many cats on the fennel & parsley, but most are gone now. Enclosing some photos...........Since the chrysalis' are green, I believe they will enclose as I have seen overwintering chrysalis' outside on a tree (very difficult to find) and they are brown in color.

Dottie (Pixie)

[Pixie]

Couldn't reverse order of pics!

Dottie

[lib66laur]

I didn't get a photo of that caterpillar, but my sister who is a naturalist and knows loads about this stuff (also named Mona, imagine that!) suggested it might be a looper and I'm fairly certain that's correct. Rather creepy critters, they are!

A side note to applestar: I think I only had black swallowtails on my fennel because it was planted right next to the dill. They wiped out the dill and THEN moved to the fennel!

[Mona Miller]

Black Swallowtails will eat any thing in the carrot family. I think I remember Applestar saying they were eating her celery.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/Classificat ... Submit.y=5
This is a USDA Plant ID search on classification for Apiaceae – Carrot family.
For the Genus list, click on the green "P" and if will give you more info where the plant grows naturally and if it is native or not.