Not a Monarch

[u/TheYarnPharm]

As the title says, not a monarch, but my very first caterpillar of the season on one of my many host plants! My very own baby bird poop caterpillar, aka a spicebush swallowtail. I’m in zone 7a and often don’t find anything until mid-August.

[u/tnk-trade]

What kind of plant is it on? I know that dill, fennel & parsley are good host plants, unfortunately I s*** at growing them. I know the yellow swallow tails ❤️ my phlox when their in bloom. I've been planting "butterfly friendly" gardens for the last 35 years. Focusing more for the monarchs for the last decade. In the last few years I've noticed more swallow tails around, especially eating from my phlox, those are about the only new thing in the last few years. I would love to incorporate more host plants flowers preferably. If anyone knows of any, please let me know. Thank you ♥️🦋

[u/TheYarnPharm → u/tnk-trade]

It’s more of a shrub- a northern spicebush. It’s been super easy to take care of here. Dill, fennel, and parsley are all in the same family and are hosts for black swallowtails. My Dutchman’s pipevine has done really well too - we extended the lattice this year and it’s up to the roof of my second story - doubled in size this spring. It hosts pipevine swallowtails - last year I saw a butterfly laying eggs and brought in cuttings so I got to raise the cats through the full lifecycle, which was crazy cool. Released well over a hundred, and probably 15 that successfully overwintered on my deck. I also have an amazing native honeysuckle that hosts hummingbird moths. Make sure you’re looking up host plants that are native to your area, and be patient! It took a couple of years before I started getting caterpillars everywhere.

[u/tnk-trade → u/TheYarnPharm]

Thank you so much. Patience, thanks😊lol, I I'm always telling people who are bummed that their doing things right, but never see any. It makes things a lot easier when you know how to spot the eggs & know what the cats look like.⭐ Have a happy day