As I was sorting through some photos from 2010, I stumbled on this particular photo that I meant to show you but never did.
This is a caterpillar that will soon turn into a swallowtail butterfly.
We always encourage butterflies in our yard because they are such good little pollinators! So even though these caterpillar babies love to feed on our dill and carrot tops, they don't do too much damage in the two weeks that they live as caterpillars before they spin themselves into a chrysallis.
Just looking at this picture makes me think about warm summer days working in the garden. Anything to keep my mind off the fact that the high on Monday is supposed to be 11 degrees with snow squalls …
*Thanks Brian for pointing out the difference between a swallowtail and a monarch – after some research I realized that is a pretty common misconception.
Sorry but that is a black swallowtail butterfly cat ! Google and you will see !
I have raised monarchs with my daughter for several years and they feed exclusively on milkweed plants.
Still a beautiful cat and am growing dill in the summer to see if I can attract them.
Enjoy your blog – keep up the good work !!
Thanks for the correction!