growing bigger

The caterpillars are getting bigger.








Isn't it crazy how much they have grown?

The kids found another caterpillar on the bush a few days ago. It is a full grown caterpillar almost to the chrysalis stage.




The boys want to put it in a cage so they can watch it form the chrysalis and emerge as a butterfly. I think I'm going to leave it and maybe let them take one of the other baby caterpillars later.

Black Swallowtail First Instar

I love watching them grow.

Very Hungry Caterpillars

The eggs have hatched. Do you see it?? It is so tiny. That is dill, so imagine a branch of dill and then imagine how small it really is!


I have multiple teeny tiny baby caterpillars. I suspect I won't have dill much longer. I should probably go buy some more.

Black Swallowtail

I went outside today to stake my sugar snap peas which are going wild all over my other plants. My attention was instead captured by a black swallowtail laying eggs all over my dill. It worked! Yeah for host plants.










See the tiny yellow egg on the dill in the center of the picture? I'm hoping to raise another caterpillar into a butterfly!

Now that the excitement is over. I have to go stake the peas.

Metamorphosis

The butterfly emerged today and flew free.