A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Swallowtail crysalis

last summer eastern black swallowtail caterpillars were eating away at my parsley. i let them because they were butterflies. anyhow out of the 3 i had 2 disappeared (the largest first so i'm assuming to go and turn into a crysalis). i snatched the youngest one and kept him in a bug container with some sticks to climb and some parsley to eat. he eventually formed a crysalis and i kpet him outdoors to overwinter. I didn't want him hatching in the middle of winter and have no place to fly. so my question is now that winters coming to an end anyone know when they typically start to hatch and how long it takes and what i should watch for??? here are some pics i have of him....

[img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6da31b3127cce88114d29e12d00000016100BbtWzduyYsZ[/img]

[img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6da31b3127cce88114c9ba10700000016100BbtWzduyYsZ[/img]

I don't know about specific species and hatching times, but I am seeing more and more species here in zone 7 all the time. The Monarchs are back from Mexico, too.
When did you take the bottom pic? Is the chrysalis in a jar or something now? Is his "jacket" or shell still glossy?
I know that when butterflies overwinter, they hide themselves really well because of predators that can eat the nymph or larva in the chrysalis...
Now you've got me wanting to read up on this.
PM me when you have butterfly questions...that's one of my interests. I have 2 or 3 field guides, and I intend to do much more research...I am fair at identifying butterflies.

Oh yeah, pagarden...I grow purple fennel, and the swallowtails devour it every year. But it is adapted to this, and as a perennial, continues to come back evry year. Evidently, Dill is another great host plant. If you watch closely, you can watch the mommie lay a single egg at a time on the foliage with her ovipositor.

Peppereater is, too! I saw a Monarch the other day, I saw an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail today (Been seeing those for a couple of weeks) and there have been a BUNCH of black Swallowtails flying around lately, too.

Is too WHAT?
Wow, you're getting more of the exotics than i am. The whole family of swallowtails sure is great, huh? I love the giants and the tigers, especially.

You ARe a butterfly expert, Dave.

To quote Thorny..."Thankee, thankee" or something like that!
It would be nice if I was...

Have any of you checked out my swallowtail thread ????

Wow, Mel, that's pretty cool.
Do you all remember when Lynne posted her pics of her daughter with the butterfly?
Anyway...I grow several plants for "host" plants for butterflies, as well as lots of nectar flowers. I will have seeds for purple fennel and passion vine "passiflora incarnata" available in late summer. Hosts for swallowtails and frittilaries, if anyone wants some. I'll post in the seed exchange when it's "happenin'"

melcon- checked out your thread! very cool! so you think april or may??? i'm hoping for at least after may 1st. i'm going away for a week and will be back the 1st. i'll be heartbroken if he decides to come out while i'm gone and i miss the whole thing!

i had dill and parsley growing and the caterpillars did eat both but i think they liked the parsley better. i will definantly watch out for them this year too!

Hey, just a thought but if it hasn't turned into a butterfly by the time you go away, what if you put it in the refridgerator while you are gone? I believe it's the warm weather that hatches them?

Dave, I must have host plants for the frittilaries because I had quite a few of them flying around last summer. During the day my garden is filled with fritts, painted lady butterflies, pale yellow ones, hummingbird moths, monarchs and many more.

At night, my garage door is moth paradise , lunar moths, rosy maple moths, sphinx moths, a "lifer" (as Thornius and his bird friends call it) last summer which was a Polyphemus moth and many others.

I have two guide books, which I enjoy very much, but they are pretty basic. At least they point me in the right direction as far as researching , then I can follow up on the internet or library. They are "Peterson First Guide to Caterpillars" and "a Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press Butterflies and Moths".

P.S., PA, I'm hoping mine doesn't hatch this coming week, as the kids are on April school vacation an will be away. Both my kids classrooms are side by side and the caterpillar spent time in each of their rooms. The first graders were even coincidently studying catterpillars/butterflies that week! It formed the chrysalis in the third grade room! I plan to bring it in to the school the first to middle part of May. I believe it takes 24-48 hours to emerge fully.

The swallowtail butterfly feeds on clover and meadow flowers, then lays the eggs and the larvae feed on parsley.

you know--- the fridge is a good idea- i'll have to check into that....