I got so excited that I left an "L" out of Swallowtail!!

Wow!! You've really got a lot going on:) I have my "Baker's Dozen" of BST cats that I'm raising on Fennel, Parsley and carrots. I just released my last Monarch of the season on Thursday.
Keep up the good work and happy butterflying:o)

Very Nice!

Woo hoo, you're really having a bonanza of butterflies this year, Angie! I wasn't going to raise any this year but I can't stand the thought of things out there devouring them, so I'm raising Pipevine Swallowtail cats and Giant Swallowtail cats. Every day I go out and try to see if I can locate some more. I like my 12-ft high trellis that I made for the pipevine to grow on, but there could be cats up there that I'm unable to reach. I bring in what I can though. I've released 26 PVS so far this year.

Amber was bored today and went out to the rue and found more cats and brought them in. I had GST cats that I had found on the wafer ash and some that I got off of the gas plants. They were all about the same size when I brought them in, but now the ones raised on wafer ash are much bigger than the gas plant ones, which leads me to believe that GST grow faster when raised on wafer ash.

Congrats on your wonderful butterfly year! So happy that you're so happy!

Cathy

Congrats, congrats on those black swallowtail eggs, Angie!

You're really going to be busy, if you raise these yourself, too!

Sherry

cute!! congrats:-) take a lot pictures:-)

Angie, how exactly are you raising them? I was so excited to see the cats on the plants. I've been trolling this forum for a while. I was under the impression that increasing nectar and host plants will increase their survival. I did not think about the natural predators. I went on Youtube, and some sites. What I am querying, is if I bring them inside in early Sept, how long will it take them to pupate? I'm a full-time student.

I have two tropical milkweed plants from WSing, I see tiny holes in the plants no cats. The wasps have already taken their toll on the cats on the fennel. What is the guesstimate food intake for a cat?

Thanks guys! It is thrilling to finally have Black Swallowtail eggs. I was about to give up on having them this season. I just love the cats. I think that their colors and patterns are so beautiful. I am secretly hoping to have a black one some day. :o)
Rose, I raise most of my caterpillars outside on my porch in rearing tents. The exceptions so far have been the Zebra and the Spicebush Swallowtails. Those guys require some extra attention, so I raise them inside. Indeed, there are many creatures that eat butterfly eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalides. Simply by providing host plantings though, you have done a very valuable thing for the butterflies. Generally speaking, it can take from about 10 days to 3 weeks for pupation to occur. It just depends upon the species and the temperature the cats are kept in. Some species of cats are voracious eaters (Monarchs and I am told Pipevines) and others don't eat as much. Bigger caterpillars eat more than smaller ones. It can become a very time consuming hobby for sure. Swallowtail caterpillars that pupate in the fall do tend to overwinter as chrysalides, but there is no hard and fast rule. Trial and error teaches a person how much food is going to be enough food I think. If your life is extremely hectic, and you don't even have time for yourself, then don't worry about the caterpillars right now. Some will survive, and you have made that possible with your plantings. There is always time for hand raising in the years to come when you have more time for yourself. :o)

Thank You Angie. I went out and put the cats that did not get consumed into a fish tank with soil on the bottom. I have 7 black swallowtail cats and 1 gypsy moth cat. There are 4 containers with fennel and parsley. I bleached & lysoled the tank & containers. The cats have large poop? How often should I clean?

I was not going to do nothing but, I felt bad because I did not think of predators and I felt I set them up for the kill.
This will be my first. Any beginners mistakes and things to look out for will be most grateful.
Avis

Congrats, Angie. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Keep us informed about how the eggs do, please.

Yes, congratulations Angie.. Hope you have sufficient food to keep things going!! Fred

The BST eggs have begun to hatch now, and I am excited to find out how many little black cats with white saddles I will actually end up with. Stay tuned. :o)
Angie