I took this photo of a Black Swallowtail cat two summers ago as it was feeding on a bronze fennel plant in my veggie garden.
Two or three of these beauties appeared one day (or so it seemed; I just hadn’t been looking for them) and then disappeared again when they made their cocoons. I was disappointed to not have been able to find them as they underwent their metamorphosis. The same always happens with the Monarch cats I find on my Swamp Milkweed plants. They grow to be big and fat and then disappear. I wonder if some hungry bird comes along and picks them off just when they are ready to morph?
Today was a cold and wet wintry day that had me wishing (too soon) for sunshine and butterflies.
One thought on “Sunshine and Butterflies”
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Hey Laura,
How nice to hear from you. I love bunnies, too! but they make me sneeze…I think your caterpillars are going on walkabout when they get big and fat–at least that’s what they do in my butterfly garden. They abruptly stop eating and walk–sometimes a long way–then hang themselves in the j position to metamorphose. Both monarchs and black swallowtails are distasteful, I think, so it’s not likely anything’s eating them. They’re just running away to grow up!
I’m delighted you are now a Kooser fan, too.
Best,
JZickefoose