OMG! too many babies!

Black Eastern Swallowtail laying eggs on my fennel...ok, so I will cut the fennel stems and move some potted parsley into this, well, it is a soft kennel for my cats (should the need arise in a hurricane, for example.) It is about 2' X 3' with a zipper....flipped it on its side to give some shade. Got some sticks ready. This is my first time saving baby cats. Today I count easily 20 1" or so long cats, 20 more smaller ones munching away...

uh oh. I may need to go to Walmart & pick up more large leaf parsley. Nobody has any larger fennel plants, I already checked. Too many cats & not enough food? I think I may be in trouble...

Here's my fennel plant, or "THE BAIT." three days ago I was soooo excited to watch a Black Eastern Swallowtail actually laying the eggs on the branches. Now I am thinking "Noooo go awaaaay!" I have too many babies now, 50 eggs easily on the fennel.........I am frustrated. What evil beast of babies have I hatched?!

very cool!

I'd be careful about the parsley you are buying from stores (produce) because of what they plant on them.

Remember there are other host plants. Rue, parsley, carrot, queen anne's lace, dill.

No,walmart for plants, not herbs from the produce section.....

They are growing!!!

20 of them are the size in the photo...two have gone to the next stage, and about 5 are smaller.....YIKES!

Here's a photo of my first ambitous one to reach the next stage...looks like a little bat...How long until a butterfly?

7-10 days if they are anything like mine from last year.

Congrats 4E!!! Now you are hooked!

This little guy was my first hatchling with the curled wings (see "wing deformity?" post more recent-with photos). His chrysalis ended up upside down a few days ago, and he probably got turned around..

I am waiting on 12 other chrysalis inside this enclosure (plus 1 Monarch).

I also have 7 others glued on sticks, now located in my backyard studio. I have one 'hatch' from here yesterday morning.

This afternoon, collected 4 monarch eggs, and watched Black Eastern Swallowtail lay about 30 more eggs on round 2 of fennel/parsley....I am out of breath! Whew!

You go 4E!!!