A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Butterfly and Bird Gardens A Butterfly Needs Your Help!

I know this is in the wrong area but I have a question. My dgtr in law has had parsley worms in a jar, hoping to keep them til spring , so they would hatch into butterflys. This occurred last year and the kids loved it! Unfortunately one has hatched today and as she lives in NJ she can't let it outside. It is a beautiful swallowtail butterfly, brown with blue spots. Is there any way to keep it alive, what will it eat, is there any hope for this creature?

I believe butterflys eat nectar so putting in some sugar water for it may help, soaked into cotton balls may work to help it alive. As for container, Ièm not sure whats best.

I have yellow-and, occasionally, black- swallowtails come out of dillweed. They've been around for years.

However,I don't think you can go wrong by setting out some
phlox paniculata somewhere on your property. (check out the link)
It's a swallowtail magnet.

For example, there's some in the front yard here: