About Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

 

 

This morning, I went outdoors to harvest some dill for my recipes and found that the black swallowtail caterpillars had another idea.  Overnight this caterpillar had devoured my entire herb plant.

Swallowtail  Caterpillar on Sage Leaf

This caterpillar is known to eat the entire dill plant as soon as the butterflies lay their eggs on the plant and caterpillars emerge there is a feeding frenzy.   They will also lay their eggs on parsley and carrot tops.

Here are some photographs of my dill plant before and after the caterpillars foraged off the herbs.

caterpillars devoured my dill plant

You can identify the Black swallowtail caterpillars due to their brightly striped black, white, and yellow, markings. This caterpillar can grow quite large in a short period of time.

The lifespan for the caterpillars is as follows, they emerge from their eggs, then eat the egg shells, they then will forage off plants in your garden and in the fall the caterpillars will hibernate as pupae. Then the following spring they will turn into beautiful butterflies.

Many gardeners view this particular caterpillar as a garden pest because they eat the entire plant.  The only way that I will prevent the caterpillars from devouring my plants is to physically remove them and gently place them on a fennel plant which is another host plant.

I love butterflies so I allowed the caterpillars to eat my dill and parsley.  Next year I will probably grow more dill and parsley indoors and outdoors.

Solar Firefly Lights for Yard and Garden

 

 

Instead of using outdoor lights that use electricity I opted for solar firefly lights.  These lights add interest and also soft light without the energy costs.

 

Today I bought outdoor solar lights at Amazon and installed them in my garden.  The lights came on at dusk and stayed on from dusk to dawn due to the light sensor.   Which is very good considering the power is generated from the sun.

Firefly solar lights add soft light to your outdoor space 

I find that the solar lights provide me with a reliable source of light that enhances my garden. Throughout the years I have bought a variety of decorative solar lights and have found that they have a long lifespan and that they are weather-resistant and durable.   

Set up in solar lights in feature garden, spaced them 18 inches apart 

Solare lights have many benefits including they are energy efficient, maintenance  free, and good for the environment because they have zero carbon emission and do not contribute to pollution . 

 

It took me a few minutes to install 8 solar lights into the ground around my garden.  Then I turned the button to steady light rather than blinking and  the installation was complete.

Firefly solar lights are easy to install 

When the lilies grow in the firefly solar lights will look good

I liked the solar firefly lights so much that I bought four more and added them to my flower pot. When my lilies grow in I think the lights and the plants will look great.