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Butterfly Garden

Are these swallowtail caterpillars

10 years ago

These were busy munching my dill, I let them have the dill until they reached about 3 inches long when they disappeared. Would they have a chrysalis nearby? I frankly don't know much about butterflies but do plant many natives plants to attract them. I have about 6 large butterfly bushes and lots of coneflowers and liatris and bee balm in beds

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Comments (2)

wifey2mikey
10 years ago
Yes - those are Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars. They will crawl away when they are ready to pupate. Sometimes quite far away. Several types of predators can/will eat them. Like wasps, spiders, assassin bugs, praying mantids, etc.

~Laura
MissSherry
10 years ago
That's a black swallowtail caterpillar - congratulations!

Well, unless you're out west somewhere, then it might be an anise swallowtail or one of the other carrot family eating swallowtails.

I imagine the ones that disappeared either got eaten by wasps or made their chrysalis, hopefully, the later.

Sherry
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?what to do with this little guy?

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