Raising Swallowtail Butterflies from Caterpillar

Have been hoping to watch the metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly for some time, particularly so my 4 year old son can observe. Looked online, and the cooler caterpillars (monarch, lunar moth)  are upwards of $25 a piece. Expensive! But today, we lucked out and found 2 Swallowtail Caterpillars on my parsley plant (note to self, just plant parsley if you live in Alabama and want to try this project).

They're so pretty (at all stages) & can't wait to watch the process.

More info: http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2014/07/01/how-to-raise-eastern-swallowtail-butterflies-at-home/

This is what they look like now (still pretty small)

They should get a lot bigger (They eat a lot apparently)

Then into a chrysalis that looks like this

The female eastern black swallowtail butterfly. Sooo pretty

Comparison At Different Stages of Development (we got ours as a 3rd instar)

Male (bottom left) vs Female (top right) Swallowtail Butterfly

If you gently touch them, these slimy antennae shoot out for a couple of seconds and you can smell something funny (defense mechanism)

All settled into their new cage with a couple of parsley plants (one mostly eaten already), and a damp sponge

Their names are Renato and Figaro (thinking Italian food critique since they're busy getting picky about their Italian parsley)

Rosemary Chicken & Rice

• Bone In Chicken
• Chicken Broth
• A Few Sprigs of Rosemary
• Sour Cream
• Cherry Tomatoes (or Sundried Tomatoes)
• Spinach or Kale
• Mushrooms
• Fresh Garlic

Saute mushrooms until brown and add to crock. Saute garlic, add to crock. Dredge chicken in flour and garlic salt and brown the skin in a skillet (meat inside doesn't need to be cooked properly), add to crock. Add enough broth to cover the chicken. Add a few spoonfuls of sour cream (to desired creaminess level. keep in mind it will look less creamy after it cooks a while). Add rosemary. Add a container of cherry tomatoes (or desired amount of sun-dried tomatoes). Cook for a few hours. If sauce isn't think enough, add a few spoonfuls of flower. A few minutes before you serve, chop some spinach or kale and add to the mix. Serve over  rice. Salt to taste. 

Flower Garden

Never tried a flower garden before (besides maybe a few marigolds) until this year. Might have gotten a little carried away even. The butterflies and hummingbirds should be happy at least.

Cosmos Flower

Shasta Daisy 

Red Poppy

Cone Flower

Blue Bells

Yellow Freesia

Sarah Bernhardt Peony

Dutch Iris

Vancouver Decorative Dinner Plate Dahlia

Jimmy Rosenberg - I'll See You In My Dreams

Nothing Gold Can Last

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

-Robert Frost