Another swallowtail picture. I love taking them with the dianthus because I think the little curly-cues on the dianthus look like the butterfly antenna.
I also raise black swallowtail butterflies from caterpillars. I have 10 right now. There are 5 out in the garden and 10 in this cage.
Here's two of them in their 1st or 2nd instar stage.
And here's 4 of them 2nd or 3rd instar.
Here's a good comparison of the different instar stages. This is the most current picture. If you look at the two caterpillars in the center of the picture, the one on top is one moult behind the one underneath it. I think they have one more moult left. Then it's straight eating for another week or two, then pupating.
I haven't spotted any long enough to capture, but I have seen one swallowtail and a few cabbage moths.
Helping the world one seed at a time
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. Mary Ann LaPensee
Lynne, a couple years ago I was out in the garden in late October, "putting it to bed" for the winter. Cleaning up debris in the herb garden I found a very colorful and unique looking caterpillar on the parsley. I took it in and brought it to the kids' school and we all watched and learned about caterpillars and butterflies. We watched it form it's chrysalis and then I took it home to overwinter it in the garage. That one didn't hatch in the spring, so I kept researching and building better cages for them. I watched a few hatch in an outdoor cage I had made, but most of that group didn't make it. I found out they are very vulnerable to predators in the chrysalis stage.
This years cage is better than ever, and I'm keeping them inside. And it's my first try with a 1st brood, so I'll get results a lot quicker than the 2nd brood which has to be overwintered.
Kenny, feed the caterpillars and the butterflies will come.
not sure of the name of this one. it looks very similar to a monarch but not quite. earlier there was a hummer behind him waiting on him to finish drinking so he could get in there. (of course, I missed that shot.)
Cricket
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker
these are not good clear pictures but it's the first one I've seen all spring and summer,, I guess I just haven 't been out side during the day enough,,
This one was huge,, I saw big ones last year but not quite as big as this one,, and yessss that's Emmy's play bowl on the ground
she got tired of me trying to get a good shot and flew away I kinda like this picture tho,,
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
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