Last week I was weeding the small and sorry-excuse-for-a-carrot-patch when I came across a very hungry caterpillar.
Black swallowtail caterpillars love carrots. And dill and parsley and anything, really, in the carrot family. On this particular day they were dining on Nantes Fancy. Given the late date of planting, and the weeds I let go, I figured the caterpillars would get more nutrition from the carrots than I would. So I left them to it.
This is the time of year butterflies are migrating, but for these late-summer swallowtails it's too late to flee to warmer climes. Like woolly bear caterpillars, swallowtails will find a sheltered place to overwinter as pupae. Then they'll emerge in spring, ready to lay their eggs on whatever I've let go in the garden... perhaps the dill?
What caterpillars do you find hanging around your backyard, park, or street plantings this week?
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