I cut a few leaves of parsley for our salad the other day, and look who came in on it: a Black Swallowtail caterpillar.

 

I didn’t notice it when I first brought it in, but as it gets bigger, it is more noticeable.

 

When I was teaching at Sunnybrook, we had a 55 gallon aquarium in the classroom.  I brought in caterpillars as I found them on my fennel at home.  I put fennel leaves in little vases for the caterpillars to eat.  And when they were big enough they would quit eating and make their cocoons.  We got to watch the process through all the stages.  Fascinating for the children and for me!!!  

 

Here’s the funny thing…the caterpillars of Black Swallowtails will eat all members of the carrot family:  carrot, dill, fennel, parsley, Queen Anne’s lace, but only the plant on which they start life as a tiny caterpillar.  I tried one time to feed parsley to caterpillars that had been parked on fennel, and they died.  They chose NOT to eat the parsley;  they wanted fennel.  

 

So this little guy will get parsley until it is big enough to cocoon.  I love watching the process still.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!