Black swallowtail caterpillar is very easy to raise. If you want you can move it to a container with cheesecloth cover with fresh dill or parsley inside. It's fun to observe how the caterpillar crawl up and down to make a silk pad and attach itself with a thin string of silk to pupate. The chrysalis will turn dark in about 10 days before butterfly emerges. I had many caterpillars in my garden but kept missing the opportunity to see the butterfly coming out as it happens much faster than Monarch butterfly. I have one about the same instar as yours now. Maybe we can have a hatch-along together.
Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil
Joylynn Hardesty
master pollinator
Posts: 4967
Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee
If you have an organza bag or row cover to keep the caterpillar from crawling away, that's better. I tend to find chrysalis in all kinds of odd places, including hanging off kid's bike spoke! Once I saw a chrysalis turning black and went in the house to get a tripod, came back out it was gone. The chicken beat me to it.
Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil
Joylynn Hardesty
master pollinator
Posts: 4967
Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee
Well, that photo was from last week. Only one leaf remained green and the caterpillar was nowhere to be found. The leaf, when crushed did have a faint smell reminiscent of dill. When I had grown dill, it was very aromatic. again, this is very faint. Here's what the mature seed heads look like.
The butterfly came out this morning. That caterpillar moved on to my squash fabric strip to pupae on Julyv15th. Yesterday I saw it changed color a bit and kept a close eye on it. And here comes the little beauty!
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Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil
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