Congrats, Mary! Considering how easy giant swallowtails are to raise, I'm sure you'll have time to raise a few. A giant swallowtail passed through here, but left me no eggs - maybe it was a male. You sure need something like a few caterpillars to keep your spirits up these days! And I hope things are looking up for your hubby!

I'm not surprised your pipevines didn't make any seed pods, since that's apparently a once-in-a-life-time thing. But A. tomentosa really colonizes, not the first few years, but after it gets a little age on it, it really spreads. Mine have colonized all down the length of long fences around my garden, and some is growing into a gardenia bush in the corner. The pipevine swallowtails have found it all and laid eggs everywhere, including on the A. fimbriata plants I got from seeds you sent me, Mary - thanks!
Two of the monarchs in the cage are chrysalides, and all the rest but one are in the "J" - the ones outside must have pupated or are now doing so, because they were farther along than the caged ones. The two chrysalides look healthy, no sign of having been parasitized or having any disease - knock on wood!
I'm raising two spicebush swallowtails and will soon bring two more in to raise. I'm also raising two palamedes and one tiger swallowtail, plus two red-spotted purples - there are LOTS more of these on the host plants outside. I seem to have gotten over compulsively bringing in as many as I find to raise myself - I just can't handle a lot of cats at one time any more.
The red admirals and American ladies in my cages are emerging daily, about ?three of each so far, with plenty more to go. I also raised four little sleepy oranges, which are now chrysalides, soon to emerge.
The 25 or 26 pipevine swallowtail chrysalides in the cage should emerge in a couple of weeks, and there are undoubtedly a lot more outside on about the same time schedule. With the almost daily addition of new eggs to the vines outside, there will now be overlapping generations of pipevine swallowtails, good news.
We've had 2.20" of rain over the past two days, with more expected this weekend. I love not having to water!!

Sherry