and swallowtails have laid eggs

that's why the parsley & fennel are there

summer pets

butterfly &  the fennel it came in on

butterfly parts whole

black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars - we sure have plenty of these on the fennel

+ butterfly futures

caterpillars make dumb pets

Wanted a butterfly friendly garden. Purchased curly parsley at garden center with butterflies darting & hovering. Black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars appeared 3 months later. Very satisfying. Not the parsley I cook with. All in all, excellent.

Yesterday, parsley gone; caterpillars plump, depressed & not yet chrysalises.

No more parsley at Ulster Ameican Gardening Center but owner gave me 3 scrappy & scrapped lovage plants, saying last year's inventory of lovage had been descimated by swallowtail caterpillars so he could highly recommend lovage.

Caterpillars now reinstalled on lovage. Eating.