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| Early instar Eastern black swallowtail Oct 15, 2021 |
This is the caterpillar of the Eastern black swallowtail. I have never seen an adult in my yard (except for the ones I raised when a friend gave me caterpillars in 2019) and have speculated that they are just not naturally in my area.
I have several native host plants in the yard (all in the Apiaceae family) but this caterpillar (and its 11 siblings) were on fennel (a non native herb) that I planted last year. I have plenty of Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) to feed them; in fact the Zizia was right next to the fennel but was almost entirely covered up by tiny white asters this time of year so the fennel was easier to find.
I look forward to seeing them take flight in the spring (these will likely overwinter before emerging as adults). Here is a photo from the batch I raised in 2019.
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| Eastern black swallowtail August 2019 |
The swallowtails in my garden also seem to prefer my copper fennel over my Zizia for egg laying. On a frustrating note, of the five chrysalises I counted, three never hatched; and of the two that did, one butterfly wasn't able to fly well and never fed, and I found the other dead on the ground near the fennel the same day it hatched. I can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with the mosquito fogging carried on by a neighbor. I have a wildlife habitat sign displayed near my mailbox, which I think prompted the neighbors to hide the pesticide company's sign in their shrubs, but I still see the truck (and the fog) every month. When the neighbor asked me for advice this spring on planting for pollinators (she wanted to make a garden with her daughter) I gently explained that mosquito fogging negated the benefits of a pollinator garden, and she blithely told me that the pesticide company assured her their spray was "pollinator friendly". On a separate note, the gulf fritillary butterflies didn't began laying eggs on my passionflower vine until late August- maybe due to the very wet summer, or climate change, or both? Now in mid October I have two dozen caterpillars still feeding, and adults still laying eggs. The caterpillars have formed several chrysalises on my house siding and front porch railing. At least four of the chrysalises have been eaten by something. I suspect it's the green anoles that frequent the area.
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