I became frustrated with the Eagles' lack of ability to win a game this past Sunday, so I went out to the garden instead. After picking some beets (which were delicious with red wine vinegar, oil, onion, and pepper tonight!), radishes, and cherry tomatoes, I wandered over to the carrots. Kneeling down, I found myself face to face with an eastern black swallowtail caterpillar. That's not unusual; we find a couple on the carrots every year. However, as my eyes adjusted, I saw more and more - 6 total! This type of butterfly likes to lay its eggs on parsley and plants in the carrot family, like dill, so we had the perfect environment for a bunch of kids to be born and grow.
This one is the first instar, or larvae. You can tell it by the white band around its middle.
This one is a later instar. If you make it mad, two little snake-tongue-like protrusions come out on its end. As I like to keep our caterpillars happy, I look but don't touch.
I watched this one's mouthparts eat up many carrot leaves. It looks pretty close to going to chrysalis. I've only ever seen one chrysalis in the garden, attached to the wood scaffolding to which I tie the tomato plants, and it didn't last the winter. I wonder where these will go, and if I will see them fluttering across the yard as adults next year.
This one is the first instar, or larvae. You can tell it by the white band around its middle.
This one is a later instar. If you make it mad, two little snake-tongue-like protrusions come out on its end. As I like to keep our caterpillars happy, I look but don't touch.
I watched this one's mouthparts eat up many carrot leaves. It looks pretty close to going to chrysalis. I've only ever seen one chrysalis in the garden, attached to the wood scaffolding to which I tie the tomato plants, and it didn't last the winter. I wonder where these will go, and if I will see them fluttering across the yard as adults next year.
Wow, Michelle. That's gorgeous!
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