Black swallowtail cats, grow up to be pretty butterflies if they don’t become bird food first…
MegaDrip
Black swallowtail butterfly. We plant dill just to attract them
BobtheHistorian
Black swallowtails! They are very pretty butterflies. I plant lots of dill, fennel, parsley and rue for them every year!
Naive_Society_942
They look like Black swallowtail caterpillars! You should sacrifice a plant and watch them grow
callmestabby
Black Swallowtail caterpillar. Beautiful butterflies. My dill is also toast. My cucumbers never came in so the dill is useless to me, so now they all live in a butterfly box where they’re red the rest of my dill.
Rude_Bit_1895
caterpillar on your dill plant is probably
Black Swallowtail (
Papilio polyxenes)
. These green, black, and yellow striped caterpillars specifically seek out plants in the carrot family (including dill, fennel, and parsley)
as host plants to feed on before they transform into beautiful, helpful pollinating butterflies. You can leave them be! Or relocate them to some parsley or wild carrot (queen Anne’s lace).
They ate all my dill too – that’s how come I know
LoGo_86
Dillinquents
Fluid-Beyond8466
I love watching them gobble up the dill! So cute.
ishouldquitsmoking
I plant dill in the front and back yard. They only eat the front yard dill – dunno why!
howeeee313
if you are worried about your dill, grow carrots, put them on the carrots they eat the tops and it doesn’t damage the carrots
UbiquitousBot
I plant one dill outside for the butterflies and one dill inside so we both get some.
I planted fennel and dill this year not to eat, just as a host plant for swallowtails (Philadelphia). Once I noticed eggs on the plants I decided to raise them in enclosures. In the wild 2-10% of eggs make it to the butterfly stage. In captivity, that number jumps to 80-90%. It was an incredible process to raise them and watch them eclose. I cried a lot. Enjoy these guys ❤️
foreman8484
My girlfriend calls them “callepetters” and I refuse to believe they are anything else.
reallyreally1945
Beautiful!!!! That’s what they are!
dogdoc57
You’re so lucky!!!
Frequent_Prior5016
I have raised 4 that I rescued from a greenhouse, they were on the parsley that they were actively selling. They are beautiful and so fun to watch grow. I enclosure raised them but kept them as close to natural environment as possible.
It stinks to sacrifice your plans but these babies are beautiful.
25 Comments
Swallowtails, friends! Just plant more!
Black swallowtail cats, grow up to be pretty butterflies if they don’t become bird food first…
Black swallowtail butterfly. We plant dill just to attract them
Black swallowtails! They are very pretty butterflies. I plant lots of dill, fennel, parsley and rue for them every year!
They look like Black swallowtail caterpillars! You should sacrifice a plant and watch them grow
Black Swallowtail caterpillar. Beautiful butterflies. My dill is also toast. My cucumbers never came in so the dill is useless to me, so now they all live in a butterfly box where they’re red the rest of my dill.
caterpillar on your dill plant is probably
Black Swallowtail (
Papilio polyxenes)
. These green, black, and yellow striped caterpillars specifically seek out plants in the carrot family (including dill, fennel, and parsley)
as host plants to feed on before they transform into beautiful, helpful pollinating butterflies. You can leave them be! Or relocate them to some parsley or wild carrot (queen Anne’s lace).
They ate all my dill too – that’s how come I know
Dillinquents
I love watching them gobble up the dill! So cute.
I plant dill in the front and back yard. They only eat the front yard dill – dunno why!
if you are worried about your dill, grow carrots, put them on the carrots they eat the tops and it doesn’t damage the carrots
I plant one dill outside for the butterflies and one dill inside so we both get some.
I’m still hoping they come for my parsley
They eat everything!
dill-does 🤣
They will smash some carrots also
https://preview.redd.it/31hwbyzkofih1.jpeg?width=3440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0634d0b3e36564662e360b652bdf169858a6781
The only reason I have dill 🦋
https://preview.redd.it/nzgkjovtofih1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cab497d929befae28be33d389bec63ab3f8a48ef
I planted fennel and dill this year not to eat, just as a host plant for swallowtails (Philadelphia). Once I noticed eggs on the plants I decided to raise them in enclosures. In the wild 2-10% of eggs make it to the butterfly stage. In captivity, that number jumps to 80-90%. It was an incredible process to raise them and watch them eclose. I cried a lot. Enjoy these guys ❤️
My girlfriend calls them “callepetters” and I refuse to believe they are anything else.
Beautiful!!!! That’s what they are!
You’re so lucky!!!
I have raised 4 that I rescued from a greenhouse, they were on the parsley that they were actively selling. They are beautiful and so fun to watch grow. I enclosure raised them but kept them as close to natural environment as possible.
It stinks to sacrifice your plans but these babies are beautiful.
Best of luck to you, the babies and the plants!
https://preview.redd.it/rs5hss5qqfih1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0062eba5b19b8966d6703a510535c2f093c3876d
I plant fennel for them and just let it reseed every year. We are going on year 5 of swallowtail babies.
https://preview.redd.it/xmbq30tyrfih1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2ecedc402005de98b25cfcc5d771a6998813836
The best! I wish I could get some on mine.
Can you send them here, My Dill is out of control and I actually have no idea what to do with it.