Yes! Going to have more Eastern Black Swallowtails very soon. For some reason I'm seeing lots and lots of these cats on my fennel also.

It's the year of the Eastern Black!

I brought in seven or eight and put them in a cage in my garage. The others I shift around a bit to give them a bit of protection. If the cardinals find them they will eat them all in about five minutes.

I have Blacks on my parsley and carrots. I thought about bringing them in, but decided to leave it up to nature. About 30 ft from my parsley, as nature would have it, is a cedar with a cardinal nest in it. So for me to protect the cats I would have to deprive some chicks of possible food. Though, so far the cats habe been safe. If anything, I'm more inclined to ask the guys down at Discovery Gardens if they want any donated cats/chrysalli for their Butterfly House.

This one is different. What kind is it?

It looks like the Black Swallowtail cats on my parsley. I would admit that what I have might not be Black Swallowtails, but I have seen nothing else at my parsley, which, being right outside my lanai, is the most watched bed. Perhaps, like Sulphurs, what they're eating can have an effect on how they look. Mine have been munching mostly on flowerheads as the parsley foliage has been all but non-existant since it went to flower.

I just did some reading and found the site below... which says and shows that the cats change throughout their development. The picture of the white one above is smaller and younger than the green ones, so you're right... Eastern Black Swallowtails!
I had planted some Milkweed, hoping for more Monarchs too, but they were COVERED with milkweed bugs and now they just look like sticks. Grr!
I see Sulphurs in my yard quite often, but I will admit I don't know enough about the different butterflies to know what they all eat, what the cats eat, etc. It's all very random here at Chez Stupidity!

Yeah, caterpillars go through instars where they slough off their exoskeleton as they grow. Apparently they can even eat their own exoskeletons as I found a Gulf Frit cat eating its shed skin.

One of the more interesting changes in cat appearances is the Giant Swallowtail. When freshly hatched, they look very much like bird droppings on your citrus leaves, but as they grow and go through their instars, they take on the appearance of a snake's head, complete with a 'forked tongue' they can flicker when disturbed. Unfortunately, I haven't had any Giant Swallowtail cats this summer as the females keep laying their eggs on my wife's Mandarin, the only citrus in my yard that gets weekly applications of Spinosad. Any of my others they would be safe on, but they show no interest in them, even though they hit my Meyer pretty hard last year.

Hmm... I should go check all my citrus. I've seen Giant Yellow Swallowtails in my yard quite often... just didn't know where to look for the cats. What do they look like? What size would they be right about now?

I need a book. LOL!

When looking for the cats of the GYS, look for bird-poop looking things on the citrus leaves, usually on the top side of the leaves (thats where you would normally find bird poop).

DM

I've got them too. There's only a small clump of parsley out there so I hope they don't all end up starving!

If you are seeing giant yellow and black butterflies they are probably Tiger Swallowtails. I think the tigers are the most beautiful of all the big butterflies. In Florida they use mostly the Sweet Bay Magnolias for larval food, although they will also use Wild Black Cherry trees and some Bay trees.

If you wish to attract sulphurs (yellow butterlies) you should look for Cassia trees. There are many types of Cassias to choose from. Some grow large and other not so much. Most of the Cassias are not cold tolerant.

If you wish to attract Gulf Fritillaries and Zebra Longwings you will need to get some passion vines.

By the way, the best flower for nectar to attract butterflies, at least in my garden, is the penta. The large red pentas are the absolute best. They also attract hummingbirds. Right now I am looking at a Palemedes butterfly on the pentas outside my office. Earlier I saw Giant Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillaries, Eastern Blacks, Monarchs and Zebra Longwings visiting others in my yard. Yesterday a Tiger Swallowtail was using them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pentas

I have a hard time telling the Giant Yellow Swallowtails from the Tigers because I have quite a large variety of butterflies in my yard at any given moment and I'm like a kid in a candy store just spinning and grinning.

I know I've seen lots of the Sulphurs and Zebra Longwings and Gulf Fritillaries. Monarchs and Eastern Blacks are also frequent visitors.

The hummingbirds love the Aloe when it's blooming, the Fuschia, and the Coral Honeysuckle... they like to check out the Crocosmia and the Porterweed, too... as do the butterflies. The butterflies are also quite interested in my Society Garlic, Golden Dewdrop, Glorybower, Salvias, Firespike, Bleeding Heart Vine, Jatropha, Powder Puff, Butterfly Bush, Lantana, and wild Passionvine.

I see I have a lot more things to add to my yard, though... if I want to host them at all stages of their lives. (We back up to a "canal" thing... lots of wild flowering plants they seem to enjoy. I just need to go out there and pay attention!

While Zebra Longwings do indeed like Passionvine, I am thinking they like their vines in the shade. My shed is covered... er... correction... WAS covered in Passionvines and the Zebra Longwings will show up in the mornings, inspect my vines and move on. Meanwhile, at the Sunnyhill Restoration Levee a few miles from me, their Passionvines, which grow wild under a canopy of oaks and sabals, are covered with Longwing cats. But I did not see too many Gulf Frit cats on their vines and they have all but defoliated the vines on top of the shed. They have, so far, left the older foliage on the side of the shed alone. But I think when they're done with the Passionflower buds that they're working on now, that will soon change.

Yes, you are quite right. The Zebra Longwings do prefer the vines that are in the shade, while the Fritillaries prefer the ones that get at least some sunshine. The Zebras generally prefer hanging out in shady areas.

I hate to call you Shear Stupidity, but I don't know your name. You seem to have a lot of flowers that the hummingbirds and butterflies like. I'm sure you have a beautiful garden.

Are you seeing any hummers now?

Regarding the butterflies, if you really want to have a lot on a consistent basis you need to have larval and nectar plants. The nectar plants are easy. The larval plants need to be researched and often purchased online, since many of them don't have much that makes them appealing to the eye.

Leekle, My wild Passionflower Vine is growing on both sides of my fence, so it's partly in full sun, while also in shade on the other side of the fence. I went and looked, but I don't see any signs of activity... other than the Zebra Longwings flying around all over the place. Very curious.

Tom, I see hummingbirds every day at sunrise and sunset. They have a "routine" and stick to their busy schedules. Again, I don't know the names, but the first kind to make the rounds are the shiny green ones. Then come the "plainer" ones.

I love to just float in the pool and watch...

The birds- (Sandhill Cranes, Egrets, Ibis, Herons, Hawks, Woodpeckers, Hummingbirds, Anhinga, and I even enjoy the Vultures.)

The bees- (Honey, Bumble, and Ground)

The Wasps- (Yellow Jackets, Paper Wasps, and Mud Daubers)

The Butterflies- (Swallowtails, Longwings, Frits, Sulphurs, and Blacks... plus my grand daughters insist that I include Dragonflies in the Butterfly category)

The Snakes: (Scarelt King, Corn, Black Racer, Rat, and Garter)

It's hard to be lonely when I'm out in the back yard, wouldn't you agree?

~Bridget

You seem to be in seventh heaven, Bridget. You have created a little paradise for yourself.

I find it too hot to be out in the yard much at this time.

The hummingbirds you see at this time of year are the Ruby-throateds. Right now we have primarily females and fledglings. Although there are still some males around (with the ruby throat). In late fall and winter we sometimes see Rufous and, more rarely, Black-chinned. They are all most active in the mornings and evenings, but they will feed all day. As we speak I see a female on a cuphea Schumannii. Right now that plant is the favored one for the hummers.

You seem to be in the same zone as me. Do you see any hummers in the winter?

I see them less often in winter, but I do see them. My Aloe blooms year-round, and the Coral Honeysuckle almost year-round and the hummers can't seem to resist either one! Oh... and when the Camelias bloom, they're frequent visitors there, as well.

Yes, I am in seventh heaven here. I forgot to mention the tree frogs, spade-foot toads, and earthworms galore!

I can't resist posting a few pics...

Zebra Longwing this morning on the Ruellia.

Frog in the pool umbrella framework.

This little Gulf Fritillary had a very rough life.

Assassin Bug, unearthed during pool dig.

Dragonfly atop a piece of rebar... master of all he surveys.

Crab spider, right at face-height. SO glad I saw him before walking into him. Ew. (But so cool!)

A Lubber... the bane of my existence. LOL!

This little guy woke us up at night... I had to take his guilty pic before shooing him further from the house.

This tiny baby frog was making himself as small as possible while I took his picture!

A bee, enjoying the Guara.

Black Racer, another face-height-I'm-so-glad-I-saw-you-there.

A Vulture... no doubt hoping I was a dead body floating in the pool...

A whole tree full of Vultures, waiting for an old Raccoon to finish dying in the canal water. (Gross!)

And finally, these little lovebirds...

Eastern Black Swallowtail on Parsley
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Gulf Fritillary on Passionvines
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Day-old Monarch on Milkweed
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Unfortunately there are no Zebra Swallowtail cats on my Pawpaws. I've only seen one butterfly in my yard, but it's my first year with them in ground.

Thanks for the pics, Leekle! I see I need to look a LOT more closely for the Monarchs.
No GF cats yet, and I'm so bummed!!! I can't figure out why!!

I suddenly have quite a few crab spiders in my yard. I don't remember ever seeing them before and I never knew the name of them until I saw this thread, but the name is so appropriate. They look just like a small crab.

Well, anyway, they make HUGE webs, often across my garden paths. Yesterday, as I was ducking under one, I noticed that a dragonfly got caught and was hanging down by a single thread at the bottom of the web. He was struggling every few seconds but couldn't get free. I thought to myself, "What are you going to do with him, Spider? He's ten times as big as you. No way you can eat all of that." I watched the spider glide his way down the web, slide down the dragonfly's single thread, and quickly (and I don't know how) loop all the way around him. "Oh", I thought, "he's going to wrap him up and then try to eat him" and as fast as that thought came, the spider clipped the thread and the dragonfly was free and flew off! It was if the spider knew all along that the dragonfly was too big and might tear up his web and released him! I have no idea how he cut him free, but it was definitely on purpose. That is something I have never seen before and I would love to watch it again! It was way cool.

Carol

I wish I'd seen it!!!!

What kind will this one be? It is on a fig leaf.

It took a bit of searching, but...

Daggerwing Butterfly

Here is a link that might be useful: Daggerwing Page

Wow beautiful pictures!

I have milkweed for the monarchs/queens and my neighbor has the passion vine for the frits (and a zebra now and then). I have lots of nectar plants for them as well as the hummers. I agree with Tom that the tall red pentas is THE best for both so I have several large stands of it and am currently rooting six more cuttings. Butterflies are flitting from blossom to blossom.

BUT...I have a devil of a time maintaining the hosts for the swallowtails - dill, fennel or parsley. The plants succumb to the heat way too early. What are the conditions where yours are planted and doing so well? Full sun, partial shade, in ground or potted, well watered or dry, etc. I want to give them another try. Despite my failure, I'm seeing swallowtails on the pentas so there are host plants somewhere near. I just want to offer a buffet too.

June

My (italian) parsley and carrots are on the south side of my house in an area that doesn't start getting sun until around 10:30 - 11:00 am and continues to get sun until about 6 or 7 during the summer.

The parsley doesn't thrive in this heat and humidity, but it does live and puts out just enough growth to feed a few caterpillars. But since it went to flower and seed this year, it is probably done. I have some curly leaf in my lanai that I'm letting grow so that some of it will be ready to go out next spring, while I keep the rest in the lanai for cooking use.

The carrots do much better. There are several caterpillars munching on the carrot leaves, but they never really seem to go 'bald' (and having said that, they will probably be sans foliage by this time next week... just to prove me wrong). I'm not sure what kind of carrots they are as I don't really know where they even came from. I 'thought' I might have gotten my wife's Baby Sweets mixed up with my wildflower seeds last spring, but her packet of Baby Sweet seeds is still in the fridge. So I managed to get the seeds from somewhere, accidentally sowed them thinking they were wildflowers and ended up with a nice ring of green foliage around the base of my crape myrtle to feed the swallowtail cats.

I have the most success with Fennel for the Eastern Black swallowtails. I have them in four different areas. The one that does best gets very limited sun and a lot of water. For me the bronze fennel is preferred by the butterflies, but the green grows much better and faster.

Rue is another plant that works well for the Eastern Blacks and they will attract Giant Swallowtails also.

If you want to attract Pipevine and Gold Rim (Polydamas) the best vine for me is the aristolochia tomentosa. You will need to get this online, however.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have a spot that gets limited sun behind the AC unit. The condensation drip hose keeps it damp. I'll put fennel there. I've admired the bronze but if green grows better, then I'll opt for it. It may come down to whichever I find first.

I tried rue in the past but didn't notice any BST cats and was somewhat glad about that. Rue allegedly can cause a reaction in those who are allergic to poison ivy (and I'm waving my hand here) so when I worked around my plant I was "suited up" and very careful.

There is certainly sandy soil here so carrots may be an option.

June