It seems like every morning i tour the garden, there is some kind of surprise for me there...happy surprises, sad surprises, i take them all as they come. Just yesterday, i was bemoaning the lack of butterflies in the garden so far this year. Butterflies usually start coming down from the mountains in February. In April, the garden is usually full of butterflies, but very few this year. We had record-breaking cold in February with snow in places that have never had snow before, not at my house but at the higher elevations. Also, our volcano has been exploding regularly since late November 2014 and this may have caused some damage to the local butterfly populations overwintering on the mountain. This morning as i was checking the Rue for mealies, this is what i found... One (as far as i know), no not bird poop, but a small Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) caterpillar. What a happy and welcome sight, what a little cutie pie
No self respecting bird would want to eat something that, to all intents and purposes, appears to be it's own poop so I think your caterpillar will be safe. I hope you'll be able to keep an eye on it until it finally turns into a butterfly.
I don't worry about the birds. Right now they are busy stealing the coir fibers for nest making. The most fierce predators i have for these little guys are wasps (all kinds from 5 cm down to 2mm). It shouldn't be a problem keeping an eye on it though since it appears to be the only one of any kind in the garden right now and i haven't seen any wasps around (although it's not always easy to spot the tiny ones). The Rue is in a container and when the little one gets a little bigger, i may bring the container with pillar into the house. The caterpillars can be as large as 6cms (2.5") and then they can be very noticeable.
I don't know if I would call him 'cute' right now but I know he will be when he emerges. I hope he stays safe.
Well 2ofus, you just have to get to know them to know just how cute they are. Caterpillars are so sweet and gentle and communicate in surprising ways. I remember when my first polydamas swallowtail came out of a bushy aristolochia vine. I said to it "why, what kind of butt ugly caterpillar are you? and you are a slob to boot"...but i got to know them and just fell in love. They are babies after all. I'll resize and post a photo of what the one posted above will look like when/if it gets to be a butterfly.
Here is what the little caterpillar above will look like when it emerges from its chrysalis. The photo of this one is not too long out of the chrysalis and is not able to fly yet because the wings are not sufficiently rigid. It looks like it might be ready to fly in another half hour.
V. I am impressed with how much you know about butterflies & caterpillars. It is so true, to know about something is usually to begin to love/like them. Thank you for showing us the photos. I love the last one of the just emerged butterfly.
Cayuga and Waretrop...These butterflies range as far north as south eastern Canada, so either of you could find one in your garden one day if you have some good nectar plants and maybe a Rutaceae as host. It is the largest butterfly in the US and Canada so it would be hard to miss seeing it in the garden. Although i missed the one that deposited the egg that became this little caterpillar above. Unfortunately, i can't spend all of my time in the garden. I probably would if i could. Any way, keep an eye out, they could be on the way.
Wow. What a great sighting. I would have never seen that if it were in my garden. Seems like I need to start taking a closer look at the nature in my garden. Great up close picture of it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Vitrsna--I looked up Rutaceae & the family seems to be primarily citrus trees....not hardy to the NE US. The family does include dictamous, the gas plant, hardy up here. I'll keep my eye out for this beautiful butterfly! Thanks so much for showing it to us.
No Cayuga, i don't think your are going to be able to grow oranges in New England. I'm not familiar with the gas plant. You might want to look into Rue (Ruta graveolens). This can be grown in a container and taken in during winter, if you have a mind to want to do that. Riccur...i highly recommend taking some time from the garden chores to just sit back and observe and enjoy the life that your garden supports. It is so full of surprises, lift up a leaf and see lady beetles apparently newly wed I love the garden up close and personal and to also sit on the patio in the early evening when the sun is going down. It is so peaceful. Occasionally a small butterfly will perch on my arm for awhile before it flies to a nearby plant and slips under a leaf for the night. Gardens are magical...every day i find it so
I would love to have butterflies like yours in my garden. What a wonderful photograph of the newly emerged Giant Swallowtail. I hope your caterpillar gets the chance to turn into a butterfly just like the one you managed to get a shot of.
Eileen, there are beautiful butterflies all over the world. One only needs to do an internet search for butterflies that visit their particular area. Then, search again for the ones in your area to discover what plants host the caterpillars of the butterflies you would most like to visit your garden. Plant host plants, get butterflies, get caterpillars, get more butterflies...and the cycle continues as long as you can provide host plants. The bonus is that you get to see the caterpillars grow and pupate in your garden and somewhat later emerge from the chrysalis as an adult butterfly. Once butterflies find a source of food for their larvae, they will return. Some butterflies passing through your garden are needing nectar only and will not lay eggs depending on many factors. It's easy! I can't wait to see your photos. Butterflies in Scotland, oh my Yeah. I always just get caught up in doing the chores in the garden that i forget to look at what I have accomplished and enjoy what it can give to me after I have given to it. It is amazing the things you can miss.
@eileen...here you go. You have some real beauties in Scotland. Evidently the numbers are dwindling due to disappearing forests. http://rampantscotland.com/butterflies/index.htm As a result, there are organizations who are working to save the butterflies in Scotland and they would most likely be able to give you ideas of what to plant for your area to create habitat. I don't know where exactly in Scotland you are and just how far north the butterflies can be found, but i think you can easily discover this.
