In July my garden was teeming with butterflies. I could count dozens of them at any given time: Monarchs, Swallowtails, Painted Ladies, Fritillaries and Hairstreaks. Then August came with rain and more rain and even more rain, and the butterfly population took a hit. So far in September, Monarchs are the only butterflies I’ve seen.
I discovered this Black Swallowtail caterpillar when I was cutting some parsley for a recipe this afternoon. When I saw him I immediately wondered if the lengthy, unprecedented rains had confused him since he wouldn’t have a chance to pupate and become a butterfly before our growing season is over. But I did some research and discovered that Black Swallowtails overwinter as pupae and emerge as butterflies in the spring. So I guess this guy knows exactly what he’s doing!