MY BLACK SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLAR

I had caterpillars on my dill plant last year but I didn't move quickly enough and I'm pretty sure predators got them all.  When I spotted this little guy, I logged on to my local garden group on Facebook to find that it's a Black Swallowtail butterfly Caterpillar.  I've been worrying about it every night and I rush out every morning to check on it.  I think I found some more butterfly eggs on a different plant and I moved it to the dill plant so maybe more will hatch.  But for now, we have this little fellow!

At the same time I discovered the BS, I saw this Horned Tomato Caterpillar and unfortunately, I think predators got him.  I have my tomato plants netted so I he chose as a second choice my jalepeno plant.  I should also ad that he wasn't really doing much damage.  Of course, if there were a LOT of him.

After listening to other more experienced butterfly enthusiasts in my Cypress Gardening group on Facebook, I was really worried about birds getting him and started looking at ways to protect him.  I wasn't really that sold on moving him out of the natural state but I used up all my netting on my tomato plants.  Next year, I'll buy extra and be ready to net it if the caterpillars show up.

Isnt he just beautiful... Charles took this picture witht his camera for me.

Normally, he is always eating and I mean always.  I even went out to check on him one evening and he was STILL eating.  I read that when they are ready to form their chrysalis, they stop eating.  Yesterday, Saturday, June 16th 2019, I noticed that he was traveling all over the plant and actually crawling over the tiny little dill leaves he loves.  I was watching him closely and so glad I did.  He would crawl to the edge of the frond and almost fell off a couple of times.  I decided I had to take action to protect him.  He was bound to attract attention from birds while moving around that much.  So, I went inside, chose a low square glass vase, lined it with paper towels, grabbed one of my mesh produce bags which are perfect because they have a drawstring.  I clipped the caterpillar and several of the large stalks of dill.  I leaned it into the vase and covered it all with the net produce bag.  I set the vase in the pot with the dill and went in for the night.

As soon as I woke the next morning, I went outside to check on him and to my delight and relief, he had attached himself to the stalk and formed the reported J position.  I'm sure he's working on forming his chrysalis and I'm excited about the process.  I'm leaving him outside for now but if there will be rain, I'll move him to safety.  I will keep updating the caterpillar saga as we move through the stages.