Butterflies and Babies!

Well, even though half the people I know are either pregnant or new parents; the babies referenced for this blog are actually caterpillars that eventually grow into beautiful swallowtail butterflies. Now that I finally figured out what the little fellas are, it has been great fun watching them grow through their multiple instars (different stages in development). We were only lucky enough to see the chrysalis for one or two of the first group of cats (caterpillars) and the butterflies have been super sneaky and fly away before we get around to welcoming them. It's still great knowing that they're out there somewhere. Below are a few pics of the babies and one of the actual butterflies that did hang out for a day or two (I think she's the mom ;) ). You'll notice that their preference leans heavily to parsley plants which I was slow in growing this year. After an emergency run to a nursery in Durham (the only one around that still had herbs in the middle of the summer), we should be set on food for the little ones for awhile. Phew.

You'll notice they faintly resemble bird droppings in this stage. This is not a mistake. Mother Nature is just trying to protect her little ones from birds and other predators.

Super close to forming a chrysalis and turning into a butterfly!

Look closely at the green stem about the red coleus leaf. The chrysalis is green with a little yellow on the body and blends exceptionally well with the surrounding plants. If you look at the 'head' it almost seems to have little horns. Now that you know what the chrysalis looks like, see if you can spot it in the next picture. (Hint: it's between the brown stick and the green stem.)

Okay, so now it's time to see the actual butterfly. I'm glad the cosmos seeds I planted finally bloomed as they seemed to be a favorite of the lone swallowtail in our garden.